Detecting Dutchness: Global Identities in the 17th Century Dutch Atlantic
Author(s): Jessica L. Nelson
Year: 2018
Summary
This paper discusses the development of a Dutch national identity in the 17th century Dutch Republic, as evidenced in both the archaeological and historical records, and how this identity persisted with some variation in the West India Company colonies of New Netherland and St. Eustatius. By the early 1600s, a common Dutch identity rooted in the shared values of pragmatism, cleanliness, self-interest, Calvinist morality tempered by an appreciation for material comforts, and a conviction in the importance of the local, the family, and the home developed in the Republic. This national ethos persisted in the colonies, despite the diverse origins of their colonists and the global trade networks they were connected to. This research contributes to the scholarship on globalization, identity formation, colonialism, and cosmopolitanism, to present a more comprehensive view of the 17th century Dutch experience and further archaeological engagement with the question of colonial identity among the colonizers.
Cite this Record
Detecting Dutchness: Global Identities in the 17th Century Dutch Atlantic. Jessica L. Nelson. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441575)
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Keywords
General
Colonization
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globalization
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Identity
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
17th Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 1037