The concept cultural studies is rather complex. To begin with the word 'culture' itself means different things to different people, such as great works of art and literature, or works of popular culture, such as pop songs and soap operas, or the way that particular groups of people live their everyday lives. Generally, when you talk about cultural studies as a subject at university it is not so much about another culture, but it has more to do with a particular way of looking at the world in which people live, and how and why people think, produce and do the things they think, produce and do. This self-study pack offers an introduction to cultural studies, using representations of Amsterdam as an illustration. The material assumes no knowledge of Dutch.

This self-study pack traces the way the Dutch, from the sixteenth century onwards, defined their collective identity with reference to their ancestors, the Batavians of Roman times.

This self-study pack is designed to help you understand the Dutch Revolt in the sixteenth century, using a key historical document from the period. It is aimed at learners with only a minimal knowledge of Dutch. You can check out an original edition of the document, read four fragments of it, get help with historical references and concepts, analyse certain themes, and explore related pictorial material.

This self-study pack is designed to help you understand the Dutch Revolt in the sixteenth century, using a key historical document from the period. It is aimed at learners with an intermediate knowledge of Dutch. You can check out an original edition of the document, read some fragments of it, get help with historical references, analyse certain themes, and explore related pictorial material.

This self-study pack covers the Dutch efforts to find a Northern sea passage to Asia at the end of sixteenth century. Three voyages were undertaken in the mid-1590s, with the final expedition of Willem Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerck acquiring canonical status in Dutch historical conciousness. Their ship got stuck in the ice off Nova Zembla, but the crew survived the harsh Arctic winter and returned to Amsterdam the next spring.