Nijmegen historians contributed to a book on 400 years of Dutch-American relations

Four eventful centuries

It was in the summer of 1609 when a VOC-ship cast anchor near the island of Manhattan. This event was the beginning of a long-standing special relation between the Netherlands and the US. This year is the 400^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and what is now the US. To add lustre to this celebration, 80 historians from the Netherlands and the US have joined forces to produce the book Four Centuries of Dutch-American Relations 1609-2009. 

The authors work for or are associated with the Roosevelt Study Center in the town of Middelburg. Amongst them are the Nijmegen scholars Dr Hans Bak, Dr Jaap van der Bent, Dr Thomas Gijswijt,  Mr Joost Kleuters and Dr Bob Reinalda.

 Dr Hans Bak, Professor of American Literature has considered the reception of American literature in the Netherlands; Dr Thomas Gijswijt, Lecturer of American History and Politics, has discussed the Bilderberg Group and the relations between the Netherlands and the US; Dr Jaap van der Bent, Lecturer of English Language and Culture has considered American trends in Dutch prose and poetry.

 Mr Joost Kleuters, Ph D student at the Department of Public Administration and Political Science has written a discussion on the Netherlands, the US, Germany and the European integration in the 50s and 60s. Finally, Dr Bob Reinalda, Lecturer of Public Administration and Political Science has considered the relation between the Netherlands and the US and the development of the international economy after World War II.

Four Centuries of Dutch-American Relations 1609-2009, Boom Publishers: Amsterdam, ISBN: 9789085066538 and State University of New York Press in Albany, New York