Dutch Discourse Research Articles

The Paradox of E-Numbers: Ethical, Aesthetic, and Cultural Concerns in the Dutch Discourse on Food Additives

Persistent public distrust of food additives is often explained in terms of safety and health issues. The broad variety of ethical, aesthetic, and cultural concerns tends to be structurally ignored by food engineers and occasionally even by consumers themselves. The public controversy of food additives—commonly known as “E-numbers”—in the Netherlands is a case in point. Two discursive mechanisms prevent these concerns from becoming legitimate public issues: irrationalization and privatization. But these consumer concerns may not be as unreasonable as they seem, and they may even turn out to be not that private. As long as ethical, aesthetic and cultural concerns are not recognized by food engineers as legitimate issues, the controversy of food additives is not likely to find closure. Moreover, this lack of recognition blocks the opportunity for meaningful dialogue and trust building between food technology developers, policy makers, citizens and consumers.

Constructing Racial/Ethnic Difference in and Through Dutch Televised Soccer Commentary

The purpose of this study was to expand on current research about ways in which race and ethnicity are socially constructed through popular media culture. In this article we explore to what extent broadcast commentary of televised soccer in the Netherlands reproduces and challenges hegemonic discourses about race/ethnicity and is congruent with findings of similar research in other contexts. We used a layered approach toward race/ethnicity instead of the frequently used Black/White dichotomy in research on sports commentary. Our findings suggest that current Dutch soccer commentary displays a number of dominant racialized/ethnicized themes that at times resonate with colonial discourses, are in part congruent with racialized/ethnicized sport media representations found in other contexts and also challenge popular Dutch discourses about ethnicity. We place these findings in a broader historical and internationally comparative perspective.

Configurations of Dutch Liberal Governmentality. Continuities and Discontinuities in Classical and Neoliberal Social Security Discourses

This contribution applies Foucault’s considerations on liberal configurations of security and freedom to two Dutch discourses on social security: the discourse surrounding the Poor Law in the mid-nineteenth century and the life course discourse. The paper observes both continuities and discontinuities between the two discourses. Discontinuity is expressed primarily in the specific subject constructions. On the other hand, however, the contrasts between the classical liberal and neoliberal discourse turn out to be less marked as in both discourses the now is colonized by the future.

Connectieven in de rechterperiferie - Een contrastieve analyse van dus en donc in gesproken taal

This article presents a corpus-based analysis of the Dutch discourse marker dus (‘so’) and its French translation equivalent donc in right peripheral position in spoken language. The working hypothesis of this study is that discourse markers in the right periphery of the utterance can be described in terms of an intersubjective paradigm, with discourse functions oriented towards the hearer. Results show that this is indeed the case, both for dus and for donc In the right periphery, the two markers express metadiscursive meanings of reformulation and explicitation, more than of causal conclusion. These meanings have been interpreted as hearer-oriented, since they either help the reader to make sense of the message (reformulation, explicitation) or they invite the hearer to co-construct the conclusive meanings (causal conclusion). In addition, both markers seem to play a specific role in turn transitions thus adding to their intersubjective character.

Discourse marking and the subtle art of mind-reading: The case of Dutch eigenlijk

This article gives a unified semantic analysis of the various uses of the Dutch discourse marker eigenlijk. Eigenlijk is analyzed as involving implicit assumptions of the speaker about the hearer's expectations: by using eigenlijk, the speaker marks the plausibility of what s/he assumes the hearer to infer on the basis of their shared beliefs. Hence, the speaker not only recognizes the discrepancy between the speaker's and the hearer's perspective, but in addition, the speaker puts him/herself in the hearer's shoes. The claims are empirically supported by the results of a web experiment as well as by data from natural language.

The Dutch Layers Approach to Spatial Planning and Design: A Fruitful Planning Tool or a Temporary Phenomenon?

In 1998, a stratified model that distinguished spatial planning tasks on the basis of the differing spatial dynamics of substratum, networks and occupation patterns—i.e. three layers—was introduced in the national debate on spatial planning in the Netherlands. Although using layered models was not a new thing, this model hit a nerve in spatial planning practice, initially, in particular, on a national level, but later also on provincial and municipal levels. Since 1998, this “layers model” has developed into an approach to spatial planning and design: the Dutch layers approach. In the process, it got transformed in different ways. In this paper, we aim to provide information on and insight into the development of the layers approach between 1998 and 2009 both from a theoretical angle and from its application in practice, focusing on the variations of the layers approach that have been constructed since its introduction. We then add our own comments to the ongoing Dutch discourse concerning the layers approach, both in general and from the point of view of the relation between “time” and “space”. Concluding, we also answer the question posed in the title.

The nationalization of desire

Dutch discourse on “integration” is currently characterized by a strong focus on the “culture” of especially Turks and Moroccans, two minority populations in Dutch society mostly of Muslim orientation. This article discusses the issue of the “import bride” as a case study of contemporary culturist discourse. It argues that this issue is problematized because transnational marriage is construed as circumventing loyalty to Dutch society and nation-state.

Nederlandse partikels in het Portugees

Dutch discourse, modal and focus particles are frequently considered to be a translator’s nightmare. This article takes translation into Portuguese as a case in point. Although at first sight translation seems to be problematic because of the lack of ready equivalents, a contrastive survey of different ways of expressing modal aspects in Portuguese and a more context-oriented functional approach to translation reveal that modal functions of Dutch particles can be expressed quite adequately in the target language. Can further contrastive research of Germanic and Romance languages help to clarify how particles really work?

Decay and the political Gestalt of decline in Bernard Mandeville and his Dutch contemporaries

Dutch decline is usually studied as a topic in economic history: when did it really start, what shape did it take? In this article an attempt is made to show the actual awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the Dutch economy, in the terms used by participants in three public debates. The classical Dutch discourse of decay and decline evolved in response to national and international political reality. The Bickerse Beroerten debate of 1650 shows the conflict between neo-Roman and neo-Athenian tendencies. Subsequently, the explanation of Dutch decline (the effect of luxury) by the Anglo-Dutch pamphleteer Bernard Mandeville is shown to be markedly different from his advice to the English (to allow luxury). Finally, the 1630s Dutch debate between Lieven de Beaufort and his critics represents the maturing of the Dutch vocabulary of decline, including its failure to take into account the organisational preconditions of modern society.

From Absolute Invisibility to Extreme Visibility: Emancipation Trajectory of Migrant Women in the Netherlands

After years of invisibility, the position of migrant women from Islamic countries now forms the core of the Dutch discourse on integration and emancipation. This article presents the downside of this visibility by showing that it is situated within a growing culturalist discourse. In addition to being culturalist, this discourse focuses on the shortcomings of migrants and is flavoured with a touch of new realism in its argument that it is a right to break the taboos of migrants. More visibility for migrant women will not help their empowerment if the basic assumptions of the dominant discourse are not challenged. Through presenting a case study, this article shows how this visibility can even strengthen the border between the Dutch as ‘emancipated self’ and Islamic migrants as the ‘unemancipated other’. In so doing it reinforces boundaries instead of alliances, isolation instead of empowerment, and suppression instead of emancipation.

Sensitivity to grammatical and sociophonetic variability in perception

AbstractPhonetic realizations vary depending on social characteristics of the speaker, and recent research provides evidence that individuals are sensitive to at least some of these sociophonetic relationships during perception (Strand and Johnson, Gradient and visual speaker normalization in the perception of fricatives, Mouton, 1996; Hay et al., Journal of Phonetics 34: 458–484, 2006). In addition to socially-conditioned variation, there is evidence that phonetic realizations in production vary depending on the grammatical function of a word (Plug, Phonetic reduction and categorisation in exemplar-based representation:Observations on a Dutch discourse marker, 2005; Hay and Bresnan, The Linguistic Review 23: 321–349, 2006), yet it is not known whether listeners can actively exploit this phonetic variation in speech perception. This paper reports on three perception experiments conducted to determine whether perceivers' sensitivity to fine phonetic detail can assist in extraction of both grammatical and social meaning from the signal.

Coevolution in Management Fashions

In their theory-development case study on management fashions, Abrahamson and Fairchild (1999) proposed that “[t]he lifecycle of discourse promoting a fashionable management technique co-evolves with the lifecycle of this technique's diffusion across organizations” (p. 731). Because this generalization is based on the case of a single management fashion in one national setting, management fashion literature should benefit from additional data supporting or contradicting this claim. The authors reassess coevolution by comparing the life cycle of Dutch discourse on self-managing teams (SMTs) with data on their prevalence. They show that Dutch discourse on SMTs was temporarily intensive, while in praxis they see signs of a stabilization in the number of organizations that use SMTs. Unlike past conceptualizations, they assert that organization concepts that are the subject of a temporary popular discourse are thus not necessarily transient in praxis.

Is judicial integrity a norm?<br> An inquiry into the concept of judicial integrity in England and the Netherlands

Much effort is being made to safeguard judicial integrity – but what is it? In this article, two discourses on judicial integrity will be outlined: one in which judicial integrity is said to be at stake and one in which the emphasis lies on safeguarding judicial integrity. These discourses are by no means homogeneous. Not only are there considerable differences between the English and the Dutch discourses, there are also differences within each discourse regarding the use and meaning of integrity. In order to gain a better understanding of the concept, normative theory is consulted. From a rule of law perspective, integrity as the proper professional character of an official appears to be a presupposed norm. From the perspective of democracy, integrity appears as the norm that correlates with public trust. Expounding on these norms – integrity as professional character and integrity as external accountability – enables a better understanding of the discourses on judicial integrity.

The challenges of incorporating Muslim women's views into development policy: analysis of a Dutch action research project in Yemen

This article discusses the Muslim Women and Development Action Research Project (MWDAR), an attempt by the Dutch government to introduce new discourses on Islam and the empowerment of women into their development policy. Based on a discussion of the project in Yemen, an analysis of its evaluation reports, and follow-up research with project participants, we argue that the project did not meet expectations or project goals because it failed to go beyond an essentialist view of Muslim women. The article begins with a discussion of Dutch and Yemeni discourses on gender, Islam and development, and goes on to explore how these discourses ultimately influenced the project outcomes.

Designs and (Co)Incidents

This article sketches the dominant themes that have shaped Dutch discourse, policy and research on issues related to race, ethnicity, and immigration during the past 40 years. It will be shown that the paradigmatic foundations of Dutch minority research were laid in the 1980s and that mainstream research and discourse is largely about ethnic minorities; about their migration and their degree (or lack) of economic, social and political integration in the Netherlands. By (co)incident or design, ethnic minorities – invariably called allochtonen, a Dutch word for non-natives or aliens, irrespective of citizenship – are problematized, while mainstream research generally downplays the ramifications of the colonial history, and concomitant presuppositions of European (Dutch) cultural superiority. We present an extended discussion of the denial of racism and the de-legitimization of racism research. Common sense (notions of) racism profoundly shaped research interpretations and research agendas. Mainstream researchers and scholars are largely critical of antiimmigrant discourse, but with the silencing of race critical paradigms there are few concepts and frameworks left to analyze and contextualize which anti-immigrant sentiments and policies are historically rooted in the invention of race and the Other and which sentiments are fears, discomforts and insecurities resulting from the uncontrollable paradigms of globalization in a world that has become smaller.

From Words to Actions: The Phonetics of Eigenlijk in Two Communicative Contexts

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the distribution of phonetic variants of the Dutch discourse marker eigenlijk, combining phonetic and conversation analytic methods. The paper shows that the phonetic form of eigenlijkdepends to some extent on the sequential environment in which the item is used; moreover, it shows that in the case of two such environments, the forms of eigenlijk are representative of tempo and reduction patterns spanning entire turns or turn-constructional units. These patterns can be related to the interactive function of the turns; thus, the findings presented here contribute to our as yet limited knowledge of the phonetic correlates of communicative actions.

A Good Enough Parson: Early Nineteenth-Century, Dutch Discourse On Requirements for the Pastoral Ministry in the Reformed Church

For the greater part of the nineteenth century, the Netherlands Reformed Church [Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk] was strongly divided on the interpretation of one of its requirements for ordina tion, viz. that candidates should promise that they would teach and uphold all three 'Formularies of Unity' of the Reformed Church: the Dutch Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1566), and the Dordrecht Canons (1619). The debate on this question, which was also at stake where confirmation of laymen was concerned, dom inated Reformed churchdom for many decades — and held the field of Dutch church history for an even longer period. This focus on doctrinal discipline (or the lack of it) has obstructed the view of other dimensions of change in the nineteenth-century Protestant churches and their clergy. According to late eighteenthand early nineteenth century observers, the ministry was affected by all sorts of social, political and cultural change. Many treatises were written on the implications of these changes for the professional proceeding of Dutch ministers and, consequently, for their recruitment, selection and training.

The nerve to break taboos: New realism in the Dutch discourse on multiculturalism

This article traces the emergence of one particular genre of discourse the genre of “new realism”, in the Dutch public debates on multicultural society from the early 1990s till Spring 2002. The focus upon different “genres” implies an interest in the performative power of discourse, i.e. the way in which any discourse, in or by its descriptions of reality, (co)produces that reality. Four distinctive characteristics of “new realism” are detected in three subsequent public debates, culminating in the genre of “hyper-realism”, of which the immensely successful and recently murdered politician Pim Fortuyn proved to be the consummate champion.

Surges and sediments: shaping the reception of reengineering

The business community is continuously confronted with allegedly new concepts. These are often temporarily intensely advocated, yet are at the same time likely to be portrayed as transitory or ‘faddish’ phenomena. To trace the reception of these concepts, this paper examines the Dutch discourse on business process reengineering (BPR). Instead of showing a single transitory pattern, empirical evidence revealed a complex and multifaceted dynamic. Though BPR has been propagated extensively, it has been exploited as an umbrella to encompass divergent organizational insights. At the same time, the reception pattern of the concept varied significantly across distinct social contexts. Particularly, BPR had a significant and sustained impact within the Dutch IS community. Although the concept has been criticized since its inception, it has undoubtedly induced discourse that has been used widely to shape contemporary IS problems and solutions. As a result, this concept has played a significant role in the dissemination and understanding of organizational knowledge.

The State and Post‐War Immigration into the Netherlands: The Racialisation and Assimilation of Indonesian Dutch

Abstract The Dutch attitude to the arrival of the Indonesian Dutch and their subsequent integration are often cited as proof of the absence of racism in the Netherlands. This article argues that the notion of ‘race’ was an important part of the official Dutch discourse of immigration from 1949 and 1968. Based on official documents, it shows how the state legitimated its efforts to exclude Dutch nationals through a discourse of ‘race’.