Henk Wesseling is emeritus professor of contemporary history at Leiden University and former rector of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) in Wassenaar. He is best known for a number of monographs on imperial history, such as Divide and Rule. The Partition of Africa, 1880-1914 (Westport, 1996), but he has also written numerous essays and articles, some of which have been published in the European Review. Eighteen essays, 12 of which come from the European Review, are now published in a separate book. They are preceded by an extensive introduction that links all of the essays together.
Most of the chapters relate to imperial and colonial history. Wesseling tries to explain European expansion and gives afterthoughts on the history of the ‘Scramble for Africa’. However, he goes much further and also elaborates on the development of science and technology in the early modern era, the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, the crisis of civilization during the interwar period, and European integration after the war. In the second half of the book, he concentrates on European identities and civilization, tackling questions on the definition of Europe, the relationship between France and Germany, the American role in Europe, the nature of history – art or science? – and the comparison of two fin de siècles – concluding that they do not resemble each other. A considerable number of pages is dedicated to Dutch issues. Wesseling introduces his readers to the famous Dutch historian Johan Huizinga and reflects on the myth of the Dutch as a peaceful nation, in spite of the fact that the Netherlands have only ever not been at war with two of the 15 countries that made up the European Union prior to 2004 (Luxemburg and Greece).
All of these essays are lucidly written and very enjoyable for a broad readership. Wesseling works within a longue durée perspective and has a good eye for general developments and broad interconnections. He discusses the work of many authoritative historians and opinion-makers, such as David Landes, Immanuel Wallerstein, Francis Fukuyama, and Tony Judt. But he is also open to non-Eurocentric views, as his title – taken from Paul Valéry – suggests.
The compelling texts overshadow the editorial minuses that are typical of a compilation of old essays. Sometimes, there are awkward repetitions, for instance when Wesseling quotes L.W.C. van den Berg’s opinion regarding the people of Atjeh (elsewhere: Aceh) – i.e. that they should be eradicated – twice: on pages 71 and 113. Other essays are a little outdated. The chapter on migration and decolonization in the Netherlands was published in 1999. New fundamental research has since taken place, for instance on postcolonial memory (Gert Oostindie) and identity politics (Ulbe Bosma, Jan Lucassen and Gert Oostindie). The same goes for Wesseling’s interpretation of globalization. According to him, this started in 1492 (p. 17). However, new voices, for instance the Oxford imperial historian John Darwin, trace the roots of globalization even further back in time. Wesseling is aware of this weakness though. He concludes his introduction stating that his essays ‘reflect the spirit of their time.’ And time moves fast in the twenty-first century.
