par Martino, Davide
Référence Scientiae 2024 conference (11-14/06/2024: Brussels, Belgium)
Publication Non publié, 2024-06-11
Communication à un colloque
Résumé : Because of their geographic situation, bound by the North Sea and criss-crossed by the deltas of some of Europe’s largest rivers, the Low Countries were and are marked by the omnipresence of water. The booming early modern commercial metropolis of Amsterdam grew at the confluence of two such water bodies, and continues to contend with its liquid environment to this day. Focusing in particular on the career of Johannes Hudde, university-trained mathematician and long-serving municipal official, this paper will draw comparisons between attempts to safeguard Amsterdam from floods both theoretically and practically, on paper and in the mud. As the United Provinces established their overseas commercial and colonial enterprises, Dutch merchants and administrators thought they recognized in foreign landscapes some of the characteristics of their native land. The hydraulic infrastructure in and around Batavia, for example, was directly modelled on examples back in the Low Countries, from the shape of canals to the administrative board overseeing them. Scholars have argued that this was why it failed: it was too Dutch. By considering Suriname, this paper will offer an unexplored point of comparison for the application of Dutch theories and practices overseas.

Documents en relation