Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis - Volume 137, Issue 3, 2024

Diplomacy and court ceremonial in the Eastern Mediterranean, c. 900-1200. Ritual receptions in comparative perspective

This article investigates a group of ritual receptions that took place in the tenth-century eastern Mediterranean imperial and caliphal courts. Descriptions of these receptions reveal a series of similarities, such as the role of viziers and logothetes in orchestrating events and regulating access to the ruler, as well as the presentation of the court as a microcosmos of the empire, with the ruler as a semi-divine figure at the top of the hierarchy. This shared language of power evolved amidst frequent interactions and competitive political dynamics, yet was likely also influenced by local traditions and conceptions of rulership. Diplomatic ceremonial proves a fruitful starting ground for further comparative research on the conception and communication of monarchial power.

A success story? Policy and experiences of AIDS in the Netherlands since 1982

The existing historiography on HIV/AIDS in the Netherlands can be characterised as a positive evaluation of policies adopted in the 1980s and 1990s. In the case of the HIV epidemic, the Dutch government’s approach to put community organisers representing gay men in charge is said to have prevented discrimination and stigmatisation. This way, the Netherlands’ consensus culture has ensured good, inclusive decision-making. The experience of people who witnessed the epidemic from up close, however, is not part of this historiography, and neither is a study of its cultural representations. In this article, we reopen the discussion regarding the Netherlands’ approach to the epidemic. We sketch a research agenda that aims not only to alter our understanding of the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Netherlands, but also to call into question established ideas of sexual minorities’ emancipation since the 1960s. What happens if we were to attend to the epidemic’s social and cultural effects?

Tainted culture. On historical context and identity in assessing offensive art and artists

Cancel culture is easy. Yet in practice art lovers struggle with canceling their favorite art or artist. This article considers Claire Dederer’s book on this topic and suggests that discussions on tainted art and artists could benefit from the involvement of historians, who are specialists in assessing changing norms and values, and in the importance of context and identity. It argues that nothing less than our own (collective) identity is at stake in our relationship with tainted culture.