The success of 'In Europe'

History is hot in Holland, excuse me, the Netherlands. Our prime-minister Balkenende appealed recently for a ‘VOC-mentality’ in his country (VOC = United East-Indian Company, the trade company that made Holland rich in the 17th century). Two years ago an officially appointed committee of historians agreed on a canon of national history. Ever since every self-respecting region or municipality is trying to establish its own canon of local history.

Although there are at least fifteen museums for (aspects of) national history in the Netherlands, Parliament decided last year that this country needs a new Museum for National History. This ‘historicitis’ is one of the results of a public debate on Dutch national identity. ‘Does it exist at all ? And if so, what does it look like?’ This debate is in turn of course a result of globalisation (however defined) and problems with integration of non-western immigrants in Dutch society.

One of the manifestations of this interest in local and national history is the success of books by journalist/essayist Geert Mak. Earlier, he published on the history of a rural village in Friesland (in the North of the Netherlands), on the history of Amsterdam and on history of the 20th century, based on the life of his father. All well-written, accessible and informed popularisations of local and national history. In 1999 and 2000 Mak travelled along European capitals, cities and other lieux de mémoires to compose a broad social, cultural and political history of Europe from the late 19th until the end of the 20th century. Based on his own experiences and reflections during his travels, interviews, (parts of) diaries and other ego documents, newspaper archives, he pictures progress and decline, war and peace, vice and virtue in Europe. And once again, one of his goals was a search for a European identity: what do we Europeans have in common, except our wars, our devastating ideologies, our confusion of tongues?

The monumental book - more than 1000 pages – In Europe. Travels through the 20 th century, was published in 2004 and has been translated in at least eight European languages since (German, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, French, English, Polish and Turkish). In 2007 the series In Europe started on Dutch public television, loosely based on the book, co-produced and presented by Mak. So far eighteen episodes have been broadcast, each of them watched by about a million people. In spite of this success –or, as Mak has suggested, just because of it - professional historians have criticised the series. Allegations were made about numerous inaccuracies, unjustifiable simplifications, outdated interpretations and the fact that nearly all episodes are based on interviews, so on subjective experiences and views by actors in historical events or witnesses. ‘Many of them are ignorant or are guided by their own agenda’. Nevertheless, Flemish television has broadcast the series in the meantime and surely more European channels will follow.

Each episode of the television series has been discussed in as many episodes of a popular radio program on the relevance of history. Of course there is a website (in Dutch: www.ineuropa.nl), containing more information and offering the possibility of commenting on and discussing episodes. Whatever the criticisms, Mak and his broadcasting associates have done a lot to make many people think about Europe as an unfinished project and about the necessity of a common European future.

Ivo Hartman, IPP, the Netherlands