The Many Manifestations of Castrum Peregrini. Historiography, heritage, and the possibility of representing the past.

Abstract

This dissertation (re)constructs the history of Castrum Peregrini, a heritage site and cultural project space in the heart of Amsterdam. Castrum’s origins trace back to 1942 when Dutch painter Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht opened up her apartment at the Herengracht 401 to take in German-Jewish hiders.

In (re)constructing Castrum’s history this dissertation deals with the implications of historical representation. It takes into account the problems of representation, discourses, knowledge and power on the level of the primary source material, on the level of its own historical narrative, and on the level of common academic discourses employed to look at history in general and heritage in particular. In other words, it delves into the (gendered) politics of history and heritage. Through critical engagement with the existing discursive models, I look for ways to advance aspects, which are currently not (or not very well) represented. In order to create alternative models, I draw upon insights from feminist philosophy.