Hilde Sennema, lecturer and researcher at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), published her second book last week: Met Opgestroopte Mouwen. Een geschiedenis van Rotterdam (With Rolled-Up Sleeves: A History of Rotterdam). In this comprehensive work, Sennema places the story of Rotterdam’s post-1940 reconstruction within a much longer historical context: from the construction of the dam in the Rotte river to the archaeological excavations that preceded the building of the Markthal.
Her research at ESHCC focuses on the relationship between port and city, particularly through the lens of harbour baron Jan Backx. Backx - a member of the Club Rotterdam and co-architect of the official reconstruction plan - plays a key role in both her academic work and this book. “The strong narrative of resilience and rebuilding partially originates with him; he was especially concerned with the socio-cultural reconstruction of the city and its harbour,” says Sennema. “In With Rolled-Up Sleeves, I show how that tradition builds on a much older trajectory of urban development.”
The publication of her book received wide media attention. On 15 May, Sennema was featured on the front page of Trouw in an in-depth interview, under the headline: “Rotterdam keeps on rebuilding - and that image also suffocates the city”. In the article, Sennema offers a critical perspective on the dominant narrative of ‘just get on with it’, emphasising the importance of recognising organic growth and small-scale initiatives in the urban fabric.
Shortly afterwards, Sennema appeared on Villa VdB on NPO Radio 1 to further discuss her findings and the link between academic research and public debate. In this twenty-minute interview, she reflects on the role of philanthropy in the reconstruction process and the current relevance of urban resilience.
Research link with ESHCC
Sennema’s academic work at ESHCC centres on the port-city relationship and the societal impact of harbour barons such as Jan Backx. These themes recur throughout her book, in which she demonstrates that post-war reconstruction was not an isolated event but part of an ongoing process of economic and cultural development in Rotterdam. Sennema is currently completing her PhD research. Her supervisors are Paul van de Laar (urban history) and Ben Wubs (business history).
- Researcher
- More information
- Read the full article in Trouw (in Dutch, paywall)
- Listen to the interview at NPO Radio 1 (in Dutch)
For more information, please contact Julia Wetsteijn, press officer at ESHCC via wetsteijn@eshcc.eur.nl or 010 408 2316.
