Introduction: Beyond Dutch Design: Material Culture in the Netherlands in an Age of Globalisation, Migration, and Multiculturalism

Over the years, many things have been called Dutch design, starting with national industrial exhibitions in the early nineteenth century and continuing in the last quarter of that century with debates about what constituted a characteristically Dutch style in the applied arts and Art Nouveau. Later, similar discussions were held about the typically Dutch character of De Stijl and later Dutch industrial design. Internationally, Dutch design gained acclaim with graphic design in the 1970s and in the 1990s, with the Dutch organization Droog Design. Since then, unexpected things started being labelled Dutch design. In today's age of globalization, migration and multiculturalism, Dutch design operates transnationally, comprising foreign objects, subjects and practices in the Netherlands and abroad. By drawing on recent discussions on national canons and critiques of methodological nationalism, this special issue proposes alternatives for a more dynamic understanding of Dutch design and national design canons. As such, it builds on scholarship problematizing Dutch design and contributes to wider debates on the transnationalism of national design histories.