Anneloek Scholten | Local Colour Fiction in Flanders and the Netherlands, 1851-1914: Transnational Perspectives

Anneloek Scholten | Radboud Universiteit | Promotor: prof. dr. Marguérite Corporaal; Co-promotors – prof. dr. Lotte Jensen; dr. Tom Sintobin | February 2020-January 2024 | a.scholten[at]let.ru.nl

Part of the NWO-funded VICI project ‘Redefining the Region: The Transnational Dimensions of Local Colour,’ my research considers the transnational dimensions of Dutch and Flemish local colour fiction from the period 1850-1918. Local colour fiction is an important literary manifestation of nineteenth-century regionalism, and has often been identified with the quest for national identity. Moving beyond this nationalist focus, my project takes a transnational approach, with regard to both the representation of themes like language, travel, and economic migration; and with regard to transnational circulation and reception. It thereby aims to shed light on the way the local colour fiction relies on transnational models and cultural repertoires to construct regional identity, and to demonstrate the many ways in which representations of the region circulated beyond national borders.