Series
society
society
Yves Segers
12 min reading time
Between the Muck Heap and the Tractor: The Shifting Image of Farmers
The image of farmers and the countryside in Flanders and the Netherlands has been teetering between positive and negative for decades. Why? And how much wiggle room do farmers have today?
society
Derek Blyth
3 min reading time
Duffel, the Modest Home of a Famous Coat
The British have a longstanding love affair with the Duffel coat. It is named after the cloth made in a small Flemish town, though it is hard to establish a link between the town and the coat.
Series
Tour of Flanders
society
Bert Puype
9 min reading time
Diving Into the Past to Improve the Future: Postcolonial Themes in Belgian Art
From Marcel Broodthaers to Otobong Nkanga, more and more Belgian artists want to cast a critical perspective upon the colonial past in order to influence ongoing debates.
society
Tom Christiaens
2 min reading time
The Top 5 Society Stories of the Year
Our best society stories of 2021, handpicked by the editor.
The L-Spot
society
Derek Blyth
1 min reading time
Campo Santo, the Père Lachaise of Ghent
The overgrown Campo Santo cemetery clings to a low hill in the Ghent suburb of Sint-Amandsberg has been described as the Flemish Père Lachaise.
society
Andreas Stynen
9 min reading time
Only After 1850 Houseplants Started Creeping Slowly Into Our Bourgeois Houses
Having plants in the house is not such a long-standing habit as we might think. Only in the 19th century greenery made its way into our houses.
Postcard
society
Derek Blyth
2 min reading time
Heisteeg, a Microcosm of Amsterdam
Heisteeg, one of the narrowest streets of Amsterdam, has sparked off a furious debate about overtourism.
society
Lotte Jensen
10 min reading time
How the Struggle Against Water Shaped Dutch Identity
Traumatic feelings about inundations that expose the vulnerability of the Low Countries go hand in hand with a certain pride.
Series
The DNA of the Netherlands
society
Derek Blyth
2 min reading time
Café Vlissinghe, Possibly the Oldest Pub in Belgium
Although its roots date back to 1515, Café Vlissinghe in Bruges is anything but sleepy.
history
Tom Christiaens
8 min reading time
Harvest of the University Press (autumn 2021)
Our selection of recent university press publications from all over the world that deal with the Low Countries.
society
Derek Blyth
2 min reading time
The Oldest Reading Table in Town
The reading table is a piece of Dutch heritage that has survived in lots of cafes, including the one named after writer Harry Mulisch in Café Americain.
history
Albert Meijer
7 min reading time
A Monument Against Fake News: The Planetarium of Eise Eisinga
The oldest working planetarium in the world can be found in Franeker in the Dutch province of Friesland: the Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium.
history
Lode Delputte
11 min reading time
Looted Art Must Return to Congo, but How?
Which objects are we talking about exactly? Who claims them? And what should be done with them in the country of origin?
society
Tine Danckaers
8 min reading time
Seventy Years On, Do We Still Believe In the UN Refugee Convention?
Even in the Low Countries, not everyone is convinced that the anniversary should be celebrated with much fanfare.
history
Yves Segers
12 min reading time
When Farming Had to Become Big Business
The 1971 farmers’ demonstration In Brussels was the tipping point for our agriculture sector.
society
Derek Blyth
2 min reading time
Cheers in the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
Amsterdam has overtaken London as Europe’ main share trading hub for the first time since the 17th century.
society
Derek Blyth
2 min reading time
The Battle of the Gravensteen
The only remaining medieval castle in Flanders with a virtually intact defence system faces a new threat.
history
Lotte Jensen
7 min reading time
Dear Government, Please Make Use Of Historical Knowledge to Defeat the Pandemic
Four leading Dutch historians call for insights from the past to be used to defeat today's pandemic.
society
Cyd Sturgess
12 min reading time
Visibility Still Matters. Trans Rights in the Low Countries
The Netherlands and Belgium lead the way in terms of granting equal rights to transgender citizens in Europe. But the daily struggle against discrimination continues.
history
Tom Christiaens
6 min reading time
Harvest of the University Press (winter 2021)
Our selection of recent university press publications in English on the Low Countries.
