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How meadow birds manage to survive in 'De Greidhoeke' (or not) In this article the meadow bird population in de Greidhoeke is discussed, an area in the northwestern part of Friesland. Analyzing how the landscape and usage of the landscape has changed from 1950 until now, partly made clear that the landscape has become much less ideal for meadow birds in a relatively short time. For example, by analyzing old maps and aerial pictures, it became clear that a lot of 'greppels', undeep ditches, have disappeared. Furthermore, farming practices have become a lot more intensive, which leaves less room for meadow birds. This research concluded that only the spots where the landscape and, most importantly, the farming practices resemble the period just after wwii, are the most promising areas for meadow birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dutch colonial understanding of the Dutch East Indies has rarely taken into consideration the experiences and influences of returnees and of colonialists originating outside the Netherlands' political centre. In this article we make a case of how Frisian novels from the colonial period might provide a solution to this paucity of original data, as they have rarely been analysed in relation to colonialism. We take, as a case study, the work of the Frisian author Nyckle Haisma (1907–1943), who lived in the Dutch East Indies between 1930–1935 and 1936–1943 and wrote Peke Donia, de koloniaal based upon his unsuccessful, temporary return to Friesland in 1935. Haisma's novel depicts the former colony as a catalyst that breaks the ability of the main protagonist to reintegrate into his home province. In addition, it constructs a paradox between the provinces of Holland and Friesland and deploys the author's inability to integrate into Friesland as a result of his imaginary Dutch East Indies that he has created in opposition to his own homeland. Following the award of the highest literary prize of Frisian literature – the Gysbert Japicxpriis – in 1948, Haisma's writings became embedded into the Frisian literary landscape, yet the colonial discourse apparent in the work was left unquestioned. We argue that the effects of colonialism, as portrayed in Peke Donia, must be considered when studying the Netherlands' colonial legacies and their interplay with Dutch society in contemporary times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ambitious 11fountains project was a flagship feature of the programme that won Leeuwarden (Netherlands) the title of European Capital of Culture for 2018. Eleven international artists were invited to design fountains for 11 towns in the province of Friesland. Feeling side-lined in the project, local Frisians responded by erecting their own fountain, which was decorated with 230 stylised penises and concealed a toilet. Drawing on theories of heritage and community formation to frame this fountain as a case study, I develop a concept of 'community-building heritage'. Community-building heritage is participatory, dependent on citizen contributions and explicitly aims to mobilise and connect individual contributors in a community. Understanding community-building heritage as an act of cultural self-signification, I argue that its facilitation within the European Capital of Culture initiative, either in official programming or as counter-initiative, may contribute to a more bottom-up and constructivist approach towards community constitution within European Union cultural policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of the twentieth century, the glorified image of Viking Age Scandinavia exerted an increasing attraction on intellectuals and nation builders in remote parts of Europe, especially those which self-identified as peripheral, marginalized, and 'northern'. In the Dutch province of Friesland, the cultivation of a Frisian national identity went hand in hand with an antagonizing process of self-contrastation vis-à-vis the urbanized heartland in the west of the country. Fueled by these anti-Holland sentiments, the adoption of Nordic identity models could serve to create alternative narrative molds in which to cast the Frisian past. In this article, I will chart this process of cultural "nordification" from its initial phase in the writings of Frisian Scandinavophiles to contemporary remediations of Frisian history in popular culture and public discourses. In this context, special attention will be paid to the reception history of the pagan King Redbad (d. 719) and his modern transformation from 'God's enemy' to beloved national icon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On November 30 and the first of December 1602 a new body of law was officially promulgated by the Court of Friesland. It was an unique event and also the promulmulgated law, officialy named Statuten, Ordonnantien, ende Costumen van Frieslandt (Statutes, Ordinances and Customs of Friesland), was special. Nowhere else in the Low Countries a similar body of law was ever made. In more than 671 articles, dispersed over 89 titles and spread over four books, it stated which rules of law, promulgated in de 16th century, were still in force. When necessary these rules were brought up to date and new rules were introduced. Important was that this body law defined which rules of Roman (Civil) Law were valid in Friesland and which were not. The so called Ordinance of the country (Landsordonnantie) or Frisian Ordinance, as the promulgated law soon was named, stayed in force until she was replaced by her revision in 1723. This article gives a reconstruction of the way the Frisian Ordinance of 1602 came into being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of the twentieth century, the glorified image of Viking Age Scandinavia exerted an increasing attraction on intellectuals and nation builders in remote parts of Europe, especially those which self-identified as peripheral, marginalized, and ‘northern’. In the Dutch province of Friesland, the cultivation of a Frisian national identity went hand in hand with an antagonizing process of self-contrastation vis-à-vis the urbanized heartland in the west of the country. Fueled by these anti-Holland sentiments, the adoption of Nordic identity models could serve to create alternative narrative molds in which to cast the Frisian past. In this article, I will chart this process of cultural “nordification” from its initial phase in the writings of Frisian Scandinavophiles to contemporary remediations of Frisian history in popular culture and public discourses. In this context, special attention will be paid to the reception history of the pagan King Redbad (d. 719) and his modern transformation from ‘God’s enemy’ to beloved national icon.

Tresoar is Fryslân’s historical and literary centre. It is a library, an archive, and a literary museum but, while it stimulates research, it is not a research institute.

Summary: The Seventeen Statutes is one of the oldest classical texts of Old Frisian Law. In its late fifteenth century edition, as part of the Frisian Land Law, it was provided with Latin glosses. Analysis of these glosses, which were scarcely investigated until now, enables us to pronounce with more certainty upon the date of both the Frisian Land Law, as a compilation, and its Gloss. Moreover, the glosses to the Seventeen Statutes reflect a considerable increase of ecclesiastical competence, point to certain principles of Romano-canonical procedure and use Roman law texts when applying provisions of indigenous law. This all may indicate a stronger presence of learned law in late medieval Friesland than previously assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production and consumption roles in tourism are often attributed exclusively to different stakeholders. However, when touristic consumption and production of ‘home’ and ‘away’ blur, stakeholder roles and relationships become entangled in circuits of ‘re-consumption’, making exclusive role attributions problematic and restrictive. This qualitative study explored small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME)-resident relationships in the Dutch province of Friesland by scrutinising how tourism SMEs attribute touristic production and consumption roles to residents of this province. Roles were attributed along four themes: ‘Being a tourist’, ‘Discovery and unawareness’, ‘Life course experiences’ and ‘Ambassadorship’. Findings signify a potential ‘lock-in’ of roles: residents were seen as unattractive target group, given their everyday familiarity, but were simultaneously ascribed insufficient awareness of local attractiveness. Pluralised role attributions and interdependent role switching of both residents and entrepreneurs could overcome this impasse and facilitate ‘proximity tourism’. Potential ways for tourism SMEs to incorporate multiple roles of residents into business strategies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam recently received a collection of lecture notes from an early 20th century chemistry student by the name of Sybren Postma (1885-1963). Maybe even more interesting are the additional documents that came with these notes. the collection contains newspaper clippings, photos, official documents relating to the Higher Burger School in Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam, and some other publications. these papers tell a story of social mobility and can be read as an example of the alleged role of the Dutch Higher Burger Schools in the schooling of a generation of academics. Postma, from humble descent, was the only child of four to attend the Higher Burger School. After his graduation he matriculated the University of Amsterdam. He managed to get a Ph.D. in Chemistry, but didn't pursue an academic career. Instead, he returned to the hbs as a chemistry teacher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philippus Breuker, Opkomst en bloei van het Friese nationalisme, 1740-1875 (Leeuwarden: Uitgeverij Wijdemeer, 2014, 472 pp., isbn 9789492052049).

Philippus Breuker, Goffe Jensma en Hylkje de Jong (red.), Geschiedschrijving 1900-1940, in het bijzonder over Friesland (Hilversum: Verloren, 2013, 116 pp., isbn 978 908 704 396 4).

Imaginaries of touristic otherness have traditionally been closely related to geographical distance and travel far away from the everyday. But in today's context of sustainable tourism, a moral and behavioral shift may be expected, toward traveling near home. Distance may actually become a disadvantage and proximity a new commodity. This implies a need to disentangle subjective understandings of both distance and proximity in relation to perceived attractiveness of and touristic behavior in places near home. Thus, it is aimed to shed light on how ‘proximity tourism’ is constructed, endorsed and appreciated (or not). An online survey (N= 913) was administered to residents of the Dutch province of Friesland, exploring their attitudes toward their home province as tourism destination and representations of proximity and distance in relation to preferred vacation destinations. We grouped respondents into four categories, reflecting destination preferences: (1) proximate, (2) distant, (3) intermediate and (4) mixed. These groups were differentiated and characterized using quantitative and qualitative analyses. The ‘proximate’ and ‘distant’ preference groups, respectively, were most and least engaged in proximity tourism. However, the perceptions of proximity and distance expressed by the ‘intermediate’ and ‘mixed’ preference groups were associated in a nonlinear way with appreciation of the home region as a tourism destination. Additionally, respondents used proximity and distance in various ways as push, pull, keep and repel factors motivating their destination preferences. Interpretations of both proximity and distance were thus important in determining engagement in proximity tourism and, in turn, the potential for proximity tourism development in the region. This implies that such development will require a balanced consideration of the relative, temporally sensitive ways that people negotiate distance and proximity in their perceptions of being at home and away. Our results advance the discussion about imaginaries of travel, distance and proximity, and their impact on regional tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]