The Society for Netherlandic History will convene its Second International Conference at New York University, June 2-3, 2003, on the theme: The Boundaries of the Netherlands: Ambiguities, Exchanges, Transgressions. No region has a name more rooted in geography than the Netherlands. Yet over the centuries definitions of “the Netherlands” and their boundaries have changed repeatedly, from the seventeen provinces assembled by Burgundians and Habsburgs to the modern state that is but one of three Benelux countries. This conference will explore the boundaries, both political and non-political, that historically have defined The Netherlands, Belgium, and their colonies. It will give special attention to the ambiguities of those boundaries, the exchanges that took place across them, and transgressions that pierced them. In this way it will look at the place of the Netherlands in Europe and of overseas Netherlandic settlements in the broader project of European colonization. Paper proposals, including a brief abstract, should be sent to each of the members of the Program Committee by February 1, 2003:

Sophie de Schaepdrijver - Email: scd10@psu.edu

Walter Simons - Email: Walter.P.Simons@dartmouth.edu