IAS Book Launch: Pieter Geyl and Britain: Encounters, Controversies, Impact

Pieter Geyl (1887—1966) remains one of the most internationally renowned Dutch historians of the twentieth century, but also one of the most controversial. Having come to the UK as a journalist, he started his academic career at University College London in the aftermath of World War I (1919) and played an important role in the early days of the Institute of Historical Research (IHR).

Known in this time for his reinterpretation of the 16th century Dutch Revolt against the Habsburgs, that challenged existing historiographies of both Belgium and the Netherlands but was also closely linked with his political activism in favour of the Flemish movement, Geyl left his stamp on the British perception of Low Countries history, before moving back to his country of origin in 1935. Having spent World War II in German hostage camps, he famously coined the adage of history being ‘an argument without end’ and re-engaged in public debates with Arnold Toynbee and other British historians after the war, partly conducted on the airwaves on the BBC.

A prolific writer and an early example of a ‘public intellectual’, Geyl remains one of the most influential thinkers on history of his time. The volume reexamines Geyl’s relationship with Britain (and the Anglophone world at large) and sheds new light on his multi-faceted work as a historian, journalist, homme de lettres and political activist.

Editors Stijn van Rossem and Ulrich Tiedau will present their new book, Pieter Geyl and Britain (2022, UoL Press). The presentation will be followed by a reception.

All welcome. Free, but prior registration necessary: https://geyl-and-britain.eventbrite.co.uk