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Johan Huizinga (; 7 December 1872 – 1 February 1945) was a Dutch
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
and one of the founders of modern
cultural history Cultural history combines the approaches of anthropology and history to examine popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. It examines the records and narrative descriptions of past matter, encompassing the ...
.


Life

Born in
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
as the son of Dirk Huizinga, a professor of
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
, and Jacoba Tonkens, who died two years after his birth, he started out as a student of
Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...
, earning his degree in 1895. He then studied
comparative linguistics Comparative linguistics, or comparative-historical linguistics (formerly comparative philology) is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness. Genetic relatedness ...
, gaining a good command of
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. He wrote his doctoral thesis on the role of the jester in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n drama in 1897. It was not until 1902 that his interest turned towards
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
and
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
history. He continued teaching as an Orientalist until he became a Professor of General and Dutch History at
Groningen University The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, the university is the ...
in 1905. In 1915, he was made Professor of General History at
Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...
, a post he held until 1942. In 1916 he became member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...
. In 1942, he spoke critically of his country's German occupiers, comments that were consistent with his writings about
Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
in the 1930s. He was held in detention by the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
between August and October 1942. Upon his release, he was banned from returning to Leiden. He subsequently lived at the house of his colleague
Rudolph Cleveringa Rudolph Pabus Cleveringa (2 April 1894, Appingedam, Netherlands – 15 December 1980, Oegstgeest, Netherlands) was a professor of law at Leiden University. He is known for his speech of 26 November 1940, in which he protested against the dismissa ...
in
De Steeg De Steeg is a Dutch village within the municipality of Rheden. Due to its central location within the municipality, it houses the town hall. Middachten Castle is located near the village. Several De Steeg buildings once belonged to the Middachten ...
in
Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
, near
Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
, where he died just a few weeks before Nazi rule ended. He lies buried in the graveyard of the Reformed Church at 6 Haarlemmerstraatweg in
Oegstgeest Oegstgeest () is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Its population was in . Etymology The portion ''geest'' in the name refers to the geest lands, which were excavated in the seventeenth cen ...
.


Works

Huizinga had an aesthetic approach to history, where art and spectacle played an important part. His most famous work is ''
The Autumn of the Middle Ages ''The Autumn of the Middle Ages'', ''The Waning of the Middle Ages'', or ''Autumntide of the Middle Ages'' (published in 1919 as ''Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen'' and translated into English in 1924, German in 1924, and French in 1932), is the best ...
'' (a.k.a. ''The Waning of the Middle Ages'' or ''Autumntide of the Middle Ages'') (1919). Worthy of mentioning are also ''
Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...
'' (1924) and ''
Homo Ludens ''Homo Ludens'' is a book originally published in Dutch in 1938 by Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga. It discusses the importance of the play element of culture and society. Huizinga suggests that play is primary to and a nece ...
'' (1938). In the latter book he discussed the possibility that play is the primary formative element in human culture. Huizinga also published books on American history and Dutch history in the 17th century. Alarmed by the rise of
National Socialism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
in Germany, Huizinga wrote several works of cultural criticism. Many similarities can be noted between his analysis and that of contemporary critics such as
Ortega y Gasset Ortega is a Spanish surname. A baptismal record in 1570 records a ''de Ortega'' "from the village of Ortega". There were several villages of this name in Spain. The toponym derives from Latin ''urtica'', meaning "nettle". Some of the Ortega spel ...
and
Oswald Spengler Oswald Arnold Gottfried Spengler (; 29 May 1880 – 8 May 1936) was a German historian and philosopher of history whose interests included mathematics, science, and art, as well as their relation to his organic theory of history. He is best kno ...
. Huizinga argued that the spirit of technical and mechanical organisation had replaced spontaneous and organic order in cultural as well as political life. The
Huizinga Lecture The Huizinga Lecture (Dutch: ''Huizingalezing'') is an annual lecture in the Netherlands about a subject in the domains of cultural history or philosophy.See. The lecture is in honour of Johan Huizinga, a distinguished Dutch historian (1872–1945) ...
(Dutch: ''Huizingalezing'') is a prestigious annual lecture in the Netherlands about a subject in the domains of cultural history or philosophy in honour of Johan Huizinga.


Family

Huizinga's son Leonhard Huizinga became a well-known writer in the Netherlands, especially renowned for his series of tongue-in-cheek novels on the Dutch aristocratic twins ("Adriaan en Olivier").


Bibliography

*''Mensch en menigte in America'' (1918), translated by Herbert H. Rowen as ''America; A Dutch historian's vision, from afar and near'' (Part 1) (Harper & Row, 1972) *''Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen'' (1919), translated as ''Herbst des Mittelalters'' by Mathilde Wolff-Mönckeberg (1924), ''The Waning of the Middle Ages'' (1924), as ''
The Autumn of the Middle Ages ''The Autumn of the Middle Ages'', ''The Waning of the Middle Ages'', or ''Autumntide of the Middle Ages'' (published in 1919 as ''Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen'' and translated into English in 1924, German in 1924, and French in 1932), is the best ...
'' (1996) and as '' Autumntide of the Middle Ages'' by Diane Webb (2020) *''Erasmus of Rotterdam'' (1924), translated by Frederik Hopman as ''Erasmus and the Age of Reformation'' (1924) *''Amerika Levend en Denkend'' (1926), translated by Herbert H. Rowen as ''America: A Dutch Historian's Vision, from Afar and Near'' (Part 2) (Harper & Row, 1972) *''Leven en werk van
Jan Veth Jan Pieter Veth (18 May 1864, Dordrecht – 1 July 1925, Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter, poet, art critic and university lecturer. He is especially noted as a portrait painter. Amongst his sitters were Max Liebermann, Lambertus Zijl, Frank van ...
'' (1927) *''Cultuurhistorische verkenningen'' (1929) *''In de schaduwen van morgen'' (1935), translated by his son Jacob Herman Huizinga ''In the Shadow of Tomorrow'' *''De wetenschap der geschiedenis'' (1937) *''Geschonden wereld'' (1946, published posthumously) *''Homo Ludens. Proeve eener bepaling van het spel-element der cultuur'' (1938), translated as '' Homo Ludens, a study of the play element in culture'' (1955) *''Nederland's beschaving in de zeventiende eeuw'' (1941). Translated by
Arnold Pomerans Arnold Julius Pomerans (27 April 1920 – 30 May 2005) was a German-born British translator. Arnold Pomerans was born in Königsberg, Germany on 27 April 1920 to a Jewish family. Because of growing antisemitism in Germany the family left for ...
as '' Dutch civilisation in the seventeenth century'' (1968) *“Patriotism and Nationalism in European History”. In: ''Men and Ideas. History, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance''. Transl. by James S. Holmes and Hans van Marle. New York: Meridian Books, 1959. *''Men and ideas. History, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance. Essays'' (1959). Translations by James S. Holmes and Hans van Marle of parts of Huizinga's Collected Works *''America: A Dutch Historian's Vision, from Afar and Near'' (translated, with introduction and notes, by Herebert H. Rowen) (Harper & Row, 1972).


See also

* Courtly love *
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
and his ''
The Allegory of Love ''The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition'' (1936), by C. S. Lewis (), is an exploration of the allegorical treatment of love in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which was published on 21 May 1936.D. W. Robertson, Jr. Durant Waite Robertson Jr. ( Washington, D.C. October 11, 1914 – Chapel Hill, North Carolina, July 26, 1992) was a scholar of medieval English literature and especially Geoffrey Chaucer. He taught at Princeton University from 1946 until his retir ...


References


Further reading

* Willem Otterspeer: ''Reading Huizinga''. Amsterdam University Press, 2010. * Jo Tollebeek: "At the crossroads of nationalism: Huizinga, Pirenne and the Low Countries in Europe," ''European Review of History'' (2010) 17#2 pp 187–215 * Donald R. Kelley: ''Fortunes of history. Historical inquiry from Herder to Huizinga''. New Haven, Yale University Press, 2003. * ''Johan Huizinga 1872-1972. Papers delivered to the Johan Huizinga Conference Groningen 11-15 december 1972''. Ed. by W.R.H. Koops ...
t al. T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is der ...
The Hague, Nijhoff, 1973. * Sean Farrell Moran "Johan Huizinga, The Waning of the Middle Ages, and the Writing of History," Michigan Academician XLII (2016): 410-22


External links


Johan Huizinga The Waning of the Middle Ages
* * *

at ''The Dictionary of Art Historians''.

* ttps://rkd.nl/en/artists/88436 Portraits of Huizinga in database of Netherlands institute for art history {{DEFAULTSORT:Huizinga, Johan 1872 births 1945 deaths 20th-century Dutch historians 20th-century Dutch philosophers Historians of the Netherlands People from Groningen (city) Leiden University faculty Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of Teylers Tweede Genootschap