The Dutch Literary Canon cracked

14 Oct 2017
8 PM

The Dutch canon is overwhelmingly white – despite centuries of migration and (de)colonization. How did that happen and why has so little changed?

Read My World asked a panel of experts to look critically at the lists of past masterpieces and contemporary literature. An exploration of myths about the Netherlands, and what lies underneath the Great Literature. Although antiracists and feminists have made good progress, the canon still does not represent real ‘universal’ human experiences that together say something about the Netherlands. Who does that universal voice belong to and what does that Holland look like? Do we have to read the canon from a different perspective, does it needs to be rewritten, or are we better off getting rid of it completely?