Dutchness and the aesthetics of persuasion.

In January 2013 the Meertens Institute will start a new research project focusing on the rediscovery of 'Dutchness': all the recent constructions (political, intellectual, artistic or commercial) in which what is felt as 'typically' or 'authentically' Dutch is again promoted, celebrated or commercially exploited. Partly related to the initiatives of several Dutch governments to strengthen the nation after 'nine eleven' and the political murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh, many new constructions of 'Dutchness' have emerged in political, intellectual, artistic and commercial circles, including those of the fashion industry and the creative industry. Interestingly, similar developments have been observed in, for instance, Germany, England, Denmark, and a couple of other European countries. Ironically, they all seem to introduce new forms of cultural essentialism, despite the efforts of many anthropologists, ethnologists and other social scientists to fight such essentialism both in society and in their own thinking. In my paper I will relate the emotional and sensory hold of the new constructions of Dutchness to what anthropologist Birgit Meyer has described as the 'aesthetics of persuasion'.