In the media
The influence of 17th-century newcomers on Amsterdam
Next year, Amsterdam will be 750 years old. This will be celebrated extensively in the capital throughout the year. In the 17th century, Amsterdam grew explosively. Where did all these people come from? What role did they play in the rise of Amsterdam as a world city? Associate Professor of Dutch Cultural History Erika Kuijpers explains it on NPO Radio 1.
Silicon Valley in your pocket
In an NRC interview, Haroon Sheikh, professor by special appointment of Strategic Governance of Global Technologies, discusses how digital giants such as Microsoft, Amazon and AMSL are disrupting the global balance of power. According to him, countries with power possess the raw materials of the 21st century: chips and the data networks. From Silicon Valley, for example, they can turn off your phone with all the apps on it. "This new form of power disregards the borders of sovereign states as we have known them since the Peace of Westphalia of 1648."
Publication by Bob Pierik in Journal of Historical Geography
On February 23, 1757, neighbours got into an argument about scarce rainwater at a house on the Derde Weteringdwarsstraat in Amsterdam. "I don't want to stop drawing water and I'll even throw it on the street," Elisabeth shouted after her neighbours had asked her not to use so much water. She followed through on her threat and poured a bucket of water onto the street stones, according to a testimony in the article: An assemblage of urban water access: The geography of water marginalization in Amsterdam, 1690-1840. Pierik found 3,685 registrations of rain containers (cisterns) that had been placed in front of houses in the public space of Amsterdam. By processing these registrations in a spatial database, it is now possible for the first time to systematically view access to clean rainwater as a matter of spatial social inequality.
Creative Writing
No fewer than 37 students are enrolled in the new Bachelor's track Creative Writing in Dutch at VU Amsterdam this academic year. For initiator and professor of Modern Dutch Literature Jacqueline Bel, this is proof that students are still interested in Dutch.
In 2019, VU Amsterdam decided to discontinue its Bachelor's programme in Dutch due to a lack of applications. In the NPO radio show De Taalstaat, Jacqueline Bel explains why the new programme is now attracting many students.
Appian Way added to World Heritage list
UNESCO has (finally) granted World Heritage status to the Appian Way. This has caused great joy at VU Amsterdam, especially for Professor of Heritage and Landscape History, Gert-Jan Burgers. In an interview with De Telegraaf, he explains why the 'Queen of Roads' has captured his heart.
More news on TikTok?
News media should have a stronger presence on platforms that specifically target young people. This is the conclusion of the Dutch Media Authority (Commissariaat voor de Media) in its report Youth, News and Social Media. Nearly 80% of young people stay informed about the news via social media. Trusted news outlets find it difficult to reach this demographic, which, as a result, is more likely to come across information that is unchecked and unsubstantiated. Emeritus Professor of Journalism Irene Costera Meijer co-authored a study in which more than two thousand individuals aged 16-24 were interviewed. According to the researchers, "the vitality of our democracy" is at risk, as they note in NRC.
magazine for humanities alumni december 2024