Zo gaat de molen: Nieuwe aanvliegroutes voor (nationaal) beeldvormingsonderzoek

In recent decades the study of stereotypes, mostly on a national level, has witnessed a substantial popularity in the field of Dutch Studies. This article sketches the rise of this type of research and its connection to globalization and commercialization. It then reflects on the disadvantages of this kind of research in that it propels the persistence of patterns simply through repetition while its national focus can easily become a matter of tunnel vision. We propose to take serious what any ‘cultural archive’ demands in terms of reflection, epistemological delinking, and renewing, and to consider a much larger realm of representation in which stereotyping has a restricted role. We then come with a proposal for new directions of research in this field, in focusing on a so-called icon of Dutch identity: the windmill. This example serves to illustrate how the research we propose, aims to systematically link mentalities to materiality, ecology and economy; to chart the affective household that surrounds any kind of representation by giving materiality and bodies a central place in this context; and to come to a more integral analysis of the cultural techniques that propel and vectorize processes of representation.