ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to analyse the myriad uses of history within contemporary Dutch debates on immigration, particularly in cities. It also points to what the various uses of the past have in common: politicians and scholars all reason from a nativist position. It is precisely the historical rootedness of Dutchness – its from-then-to-now continuity – that is detrimental to the interests of immigrants. It is the conviction that some people historically belong to the nation that makes invocations of the past so exclusionary. Whereas ongoing immigration to New York City is understood as having transformed the mainstream, history plays a different role in the Netherlands. Politicians and opinion leaders argue that new arrivals should become well versed in Dutch history, which would aid their integration into Dutch society and make the native Dutch more welcoming by signalling that they are eager to learn about their country of adoption.
