Naar een integrale geschiedenis van de negentiende-eeuwse stad: vijftien stadsbiografieën in perspectief

Towards an integrated history of the nineteenth-century city. A review of fifteen Dutch urban biographies.

Over the last twenty years, the writing of modern urban biographies has been one of the core activities of Dutch urban historians. Focusing on the analysis of the nineteenth century city in fifteen major urban biographies, this review discusses their selection of themes, composition and style, but also explores new possibilities to enhance the synthetic potential of urban historiography. The article argues that in the next few years more attention might be paid to the stimulating role of urban government, especially in economic and cultural development; to the contested creation of class and gender relations in the field of leisure; and to the multifaceted character of urban space: as a structure, a built environment and a socially constructed site of daily experience.