North Sea Rising: A Case for Water-Based Commons
Cover of the essay: The Port of Rotterdam on the North Sea
My essay, 'Mapping the Human-Ocean Nexus: Reflections and Reimaginings in the Cartography of Land Reclamation,' is born out of research for my project 'Seascape Atlas: Mapping the Unheard.' It outlines and reflects on the Dutch relationship with water in the past and present, and explores how innovative cartography can promote 'oceanic thinking' for the future. It is part of the book North Sea Rising, published by VI PER and LINA.
The book can be purchased via this link.————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Here is an excerpt of the essay:
But great yet is the sea Holland,
To which you have slowly appeared,
From which (Holland) was born as a shell,
Which sings through all the land,
That every one in his soul may hear it!(1)
Water, in the form of rivers and seas, has profoundly shaped the culture and economy as well as the national identity of the Netherlands. The Dutch have a long history of water management and the country still holds a leading position in delta engineering today. Its relationship with water has evolved through different epochs, reflecting the ideology of society during each period. Due to its geography, the Dutch nation has been
in a constant struggle to protect the country from flooding and reclaim land for production. By draining swamps and reclaiming lakes and coastal floodplains, the Dutch managed to increase their productive land and grow economically despite being a small country. The fight against water (strijd tegen het water in Dutch) has been the traditional theme on this territory which even predates the Dutch nation by several centuries.
From as early as 1300, the sea was perceived as an enemy of humans – an attitude recorded in Frisian law, documented in the first Rüstringer Manuscript:
We (…) have to protect our land against the sea using three instruments: the spade, the burry and the fork.
Moreover, we (…) should protect our land with sword, spear and brown shield (…) against unlawful dominion.(2)
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Footnote:
1 ‘Maar groot toch is de zee Holland, / Waaraan gij langzaam zijt verschenen, / Waaruit ge als een schelp zijt geboren, / Die
zingt door uw hele land henen, / Dat elk in zijn ziel haar kan horen!’‚ from ‘Holland’ by Adama van Scheltema, 1906.
2 Buma and Ebel, 1963: 30.