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Abstract
The paper focuses on the role farm women played in the reconstruction of thousands of farmhouses which were destroyed in the Netherlands during the Second World War. This role was defined by demands regarding the rationalisation of the home, better hygiene and improvement of morale in the new farmhouses. The analysis exposes the power relations behind the development of the demands of the women. Rural women’s associations and farm household management education were prominent authorities. They produced and distributed knowledge on the modernisation of the farm dwelling and were keen, in that sense, to bolster the self-sufficiency of farm women.
The reconstruction in general was intended to lead to the modernisation of the farms, the stables and storage buildings as well as the living quarters, and – as a consequence – to the modernisation of farming and the improvement of welfare in rural areas. Although, women worked in all parts of the farm in daily life, their role in the reconstruction was determined by a gender-specific appropriation of space and strictly limited to the parts of the farmhouse where the family lived. Nevertheless, the position of the farm women turned out to be a strong one. Their activities should serve as good examples for male farmers involved in the reconstruction. The paper explores the context and background of these observations.
Die Beiträge setzen sich im Sinne einer Europäischen Ethnologie und Kulturanthropologie mit dem gestiegenen Komplexitätsniveau der niederländischen Gesellschaft auseinander. Ihr besonderes Interesse gilt der Beschreibung und Analyse des Zusammenspiels unterschiedlicher Komponenten von Fremd- und Selbstwahrnehmung, von Identitäten-Generierung und von Formen der Lebensgestaltung. Ihre Analysen knüpfen an aktuelle gesellschaftspolitische Debatten um ‚Zuwanderung‘, ‚Integration‘, ‚niederländische Kultur‘ und ‚kulturelles Erbe‘ an.
Die Beiträge setzen sich im Sinne einer Europäischen Ethnologie und Kulturanthropologie mit dem gestiegenen Komplexitätsniveau der niederländischen Gesellschaft auseinander. Ihr besonderes Interesse gilt der Beschreibung und Analyse des Zusammenspiels unterschiedlicher Komponenten von Fremd- und Selbstwahrnehmung, von Identitäten-Generierung und von Formen der Lebensgestaltung. Ihre Analysen knüpfen an aktuelle gesellschaftspolitische Debatten um ‚Zuwanderung‘, ‚Integration‘, ‚niederländische Kultur‘ und ‚kulturelles Erbe‘ an.