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Hollanders as ‘the Other’ through a Hanseatic lens. Late medieval and modern perceptions of identity
| The division between ‘us’ and ‘them’ is one of the most common mechanisms of social interaction and (self)perception. It also contributes to the creation of identities, both nowadays and in the past. In this paper, Hollanders in the late Middle Ages are viewed as ‘the Other’ through the lens of Hanseatic sources. Hollanders were an upcoming mercantile power in the 15th-16th centuries, expanding to the Baltic region: a ground until then dominated by the Hanse, a mercantile organisation. The interaction with Hanseatic traders ranged from rivalry to cooperation, and it resulted in the creation of an image of Hollanders as ‘the Other’. There are abundant sources on this representation of Hollanders, and it is one of the few instances when an external view on the medieval Hollandish identity can be analysed. However, these sources have not been yet systematically examined. This paper, based on the research for the NWO Rubicon project at Leiden University, aims to fill this lacuna. In addition, the view of Hanse-researchers of the 19th and 20th centuries on the relations between Hansards and Hollanders will be broached and juxtaposed with the medieval notions of boundaries between the two groups.
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