Blacks in the Dutch World: The Evolution of Racial Imagery in a Modern

by Allison Blakely

Now in paperback!

Blacks in the Dutch World
The Evolution of Racial Imagery in a Modern Society

Allison Blakely

Examination of the development of racial attitudes and color prejudice.

"In Blacks in the Dutch World Blakely provides scholars with a valuable record―in word and image―of the complex interaction between Dutch history and black history even as it examines, sensitively and persuasively, some of the intricate combinations of factors which are involved in color bias and its cultural expression." ―Catherine Levesque, New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids

". . . provocative and exceptionally well written―a significant contribution to the history of Dutch overseas expansion." ―Johannes Postma, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"This is a very interesting, well-written, and thoroughly researched study based on a great variety of sources." ―Choice

Blacks in the Dutch World examines the interaction between Black history and Dutch history to gain an understanding of the development of racial attitudes. Allison Blakely reveals cracks in the self-image and reputation of Dutch society as a haven for those escaping intolerance. Pervasive images of "the Moor" and "the noble savage" appear in Dutch art and popular culture; and "Black Pete" is a servant to Santa Claus in Dutch Christmas tradition. These and many other cultural artifacts reflect the racial stereotyping of Blacks that existed in the Dutch world through the time of slavery and servitude, and then freedom.

Blakely weighs the proposition that factors unique to the modern period have contributed to the creation of this racial imagery in Dutch folklore, art, literature, and religion. By viewing evolving images of Blacks against the backdrop of Western expansion, the agricultural, scientific, and industrial revolutions, and the advent of modern secular doctrines, Blakely discovers that humanism and liberalism, hallmarks of Dutch society since medieval times, have been imperfect guardians against racial bias.

Allison Blakely, Professor of European History and Comparative History at Howard University, is author of Russia and the Blacks in Russian History and Thought, winner of an American Book Award.

Blacks in the Diaspora―Darlene Clark Hine, John McCluskey, Jr.,
David Barry Gaspar, general editors

March 2001 (cloth 1994)
352 pages, 119 illus., intro., notes, index, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
cloth0-253-31191-8$45.00 L / £34.00
paper0-253-21433-5$22.95 s / £17.50

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[John]

This book takes an eclectic look at the treatment Blacks--racialized people in general--received in Dutch society from the fifteenth century to the present. The era it most focuses on are is that of the great Dutch trading companies including the horrific fact of Dutch slave trading . The focus is more on the Gold Coast of Africa and Surinam than on South Africa. That disappointed me because I was looking for insight into the late-nineteenth century race relations in Transvaal and the Cape. But I can't blame the author for not covering everything. He surveys art, music, literature, and commerce for insight into Dutch attitudes towards blacks. The author turns up hopeful and horrific instances of Dutch actions and attitudes. He doesn't have a critical lens through which he surveys all this data--unfortunate, I think, for ultimately the book reads like a series of anecdotes more than a coherent overview of the roots of Dutch attitudes and actions and their impact on people around the world. Still, I learned a lot, and recommend this book as an antidote for anyone who thinks "if you ain't Dutch [or Calvinist] you ain't much."