Historians to explore role of ‘Holland in America, 1609-2009’

Call for papers for ‘Going Dutch’ conference

DENVER, Colorado - A March 2005 conference in Denver will explore the place of Dutch history and the influence of Dutch culture in the United States. The event is organized by het Departments of History of the University of Denver and the University of Washington in Seattle.

According to the organizers, Dutch history, art, architecture, design, customs, trade, religion, and philosophy all have played significant and varying roles in American society. The democratic model of the Netherlands inspired the Founding Fathers, the history of the Netherlands preoccupied leading 19th-century authors in the U.S., and the aesthetic vocabularies of the Netherlands helped shape American taste.

From Henry Hudson to Piet Mondriaan and beyond, the conference seeks to understand how and why Dutchism has fared the way it has in North America.

Organizers are calling for papers for the conference, planned for March 25 and 26th, 2005. Submission of a paper proposal - deadline is October 1, 2004 - de-notes a commitment to attend the conference if the paper is accepted. For more information contact Joyce Goodfriend, Department of History, University of Denver at jgoodfri@du.edu or Benjamin Schmidt, Department of History, University of Washington at schmidtb@u.washington.edu.