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nenaveenstra's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like most of the reviews of this book start with 'this is an important book' and I agree. Or, to put it more nuanced, I agree that it's important that there are books written about the Netherlands' colonial past and the way it is ignored by its population. The paradox that Gloria Wekker speaks of is very real and ought to be highlighted.
I feel, however, that this book doesn't do a great job at it. This is because of multiple reasons. First of all, Wekker takes way too much time to introduce every subject, and she does this in a very dry, academic manner. Like I've seen in other reviews on this website, sometimes the introduction is twice as long as the point she's trying to make. Take the chapter on 'Hottentot nimphae' in which Wekker describes a case study on a couple of women who use this racialised term to refer to their own, white, body and are later diagnosed with a gendered disease instead of it. I skimmed over this part because I just didn't understand why it mattered.
Secondly, Wekker makes some claims in this book that I, as a Dutch person, have trouble with. Sometimes these are claims related to white entitlement and the way we perceive black people/other minorities and I'm willing to believe that the reason why I'm having trouble with these things is because I'm white, ignorant, entitled and whatnot. But sometimes, these are claims about the LGBTQ+ community, or assumptions about behaviour that is 'typically' female or male. I know that this is not the point of the book, but seeing as Gloria Wekker is a feminist herself, I would've assumed that she didn't think in such patterns.
Lastly, I'd like to say that the reason why I didn't love this book so much might be because it just wasn't written for me. This book seems to be written for a non-Dutch audience that would like to learn about The Netherlands, which, sure, that's an audience too, but that means that I came across a lot of information that I already knew. Especially the chapter on Zwarte Piet - which clearly is a racist caricature, I'm not going to argue about that - was plain boring to me. Also the explanation on how muslims are viewed in this country and other things along those lines were no new information. But that's on me. Maybe, as a Dutch person, I shouldn't have read this book, or maybe the Dutch translation would've been better suited.
This book is very important, though. Wekker gives an interesting summary of the existing racism in the Netherlands and makes a good point in saying that we shouldn't ignore our colonial past. She could have made that point in a lot less words though, and in a more accessible manner.
I feel, however, that this book doesn't do a great job at it. This is because of multiple reasons. First of all, Wekker takes way too much time to introduce every subject, and she does this in a very dry, academic manner. Like I've seen in other reviews on this website, sometimes the introduction is twice as long as the point she's trying to make. Take the chapter on 'Hottentot nimphae' in which Wekker describes a case study on a couple of women who use this racialised term to refer to their own, white, body and are later diagnosed with a gendered disease instead of it. I skimmed over this part because I just didn't understand why it mattered.
Secondly, Wekker makes some claims in this book that I, as a Dutch person, have trouble with. Sometimes these are claims related to white entitlement and the way we perceive black people/other minorities and I'm willing to believe that the reason why I'm having trouble with these things is because I'm white, ignorant, entitled and whatnot. But sometimes, these are claims about the LGBTQ+ community, or assumptions about behaviour that is 'typically' female or male. I know that this is not the point of the book, but seeing as Gloria Wekker is a feminist herself, I would've assumed that she didn't think in such patterns.
Lastly, I'd like to say that the reason why I didn't love this book so much might be because it just wasn't written for me. This book seems to be written for a non-Dutch audience that would like to learn about The Netherlands, which, sure, that's an audience too, but that means that I came across a lot of information that I already knew. Especially the chapter on Zwarte Piet - which clearly is a racist caricature, I'm not going to argue about that - was plain boring to me. Also the explanation on how muslims are viewed in this country and other things along those lines were no new information. But that's on me. Maybe, as a Dutch person, I shouldn't have read this book, or maybe the Dutch translation would've been better suited.
This book is very important, though. Wekker gives an interesting summary of the existing racism in the Netherlands and makes a good point in saying that we shouldn't ignore our colonial past. She could have made that point in a lot less words though, and in a more accessible manner.
hedsek's review against another edition
5.0
Dit boek geeft belangrijke inzichten in de behandeling (of eigenlijk het gebrek aan behandeling) van ras in Nederland op een goed onderbouwde en inzichtelijke manier. Ik zou iedereen aanraden het te lezen, maar met name de 'mensen zoals wij' die denken dat racisme een tokkieprobleem is (en daar viel ik zelf ook voor lange tijd onder).
Wat vooral ontzettend goed en belangrijk is aan dit boek, is dat het een vocabulaire biedt om over ras te praten in Nederland. Op een bepaald moment in het boek herinnerde ik me een aardrijkskundeles op de middelbare school waarbij we een project over demografie moesten doen en we angstvallig probeerden het woord Zwart te vermijden, alsof je dat niet zou mogen benoemen. Hopelijk zullen situaties als deze door dit soort boeken zeldzamer worden en uiteindelijk verdwijnen, want de volledige onbespreekbaarheid van een probleem zorgt ook dat er geen vooruitgang mogelijk is.
Misschien mijn enige minpunt aan dit boek is dat er soms ontzettend veel lijnen tegelijk worden opgezet, waardoor je af en toe echt even terug moet bladeren om te zien waar het hoofdstuk nou ook alweer over ging. Aan de andere kant is dit natuurlijk gewoon een academisch werk en niet een roman, dus echt een probleem is dat ook niet.
Wat vooral ontzettend goed en belangrijk is aan dit boek, is dat het een vocabulaire biedt om over ras te praten in Nederland. Op een bepaald moment in het boek herinnerde ik me een aardrijkskundeles op de middelbare school waarbij we een project over demografie moesten doen en we angstvallig probeerden het woord Zwart te vermijden, alsof je dat niet zou mogen benoemen. Hopelijk zullen situaties als deze door dit soort boeken zeldzamer worden en uiteindelijk verdwijnen, want de volledige onbespreekbaarheid van een probleem zorgt ook dat er geen vooruitgang mogelijk is.
Misschien mijn enige minpunt aan dit boek is dat er soms ontzettend veel lijnen tegelijk worden opgezet, waardoor je af en toe echt even terug moet bladeren om te zien waar het hoofdstuk nou ook alweer over ging. Aan de andere kant is dit natuurlijk gewoon een academisch werk en niet een roman, dus echt een probleem is dat ook niet.
lilyvanegeraat's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
2.5
For me, the arguments of the book got lost in abstract and dense writing. For example, complicated quotes without sufficient context were inserted as a substitute for rather than supportive of an argument. While I'm very interested in the content, I gave up on the book as the writing style was too demanding.
ofbooksandtrees's review against another edition
Read June 2020
An interesting read about an important subject. I loved that it specifically spoke about the Netherlands.
I did have a really hard time with the academic writing though. Especially the first half (chapters 1, 2 & 3.) Not sure why that changed in the second half (chapters 4, 5 & 6.) They felt easier to read, but I don’t know if that’s because something changed in the writing or if I just got more used to the academic style.
esmevdb's review against another edition
5.0
Gloria Wekker has written an astonishing collection of interlinked essays in which she analyzes the Dutch variety of white fragility and institutional racism. I've learned so much about recent Dutch political history, as well as about women's rights and lgbt+ rights (and honestly I'm ashamed I didn't know or remembered these things).
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