Each year, Amerikanistendag draws students from across the Netherlands (and beyond) to present their research, connect with each other, and meet established academics. The day offers a formal (though friendly) conference, which gives students a professional academic experience, alongside relaxed moments to socialize and network.
This year’s Amerikanistendag was hosted at the University of Amsterdam. It was one of the largest in recent history, with a total of thirty-three student presentations and over one hundred participants. We can only speculate on the reasons for this high turnout. Timed to support “work in progress,” students may have felt particularly encouraged to seek usable feedback on ongoing thesis projects. The potent charge of current transatlantic issues may have also drawn attendees. Speculation aside, students and professors from Amsterdam, Cologne, Groningen, Leiden, Leipzig, Nijmegen, Utrecht, and Rotterdam, as well as those affiliated with the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies (RIAS) in Middelburg, came to Amerikanistendag in large numbers—demonstrating the academic and social vitality of American Studies in this part of the world.
The day started with words of welcome by Ruud Janssens, chair of American Studies at the UvA, and Frank Mehring, NASA president. Nic Turner, the editor of the Netherlands American Studies Review, discussed the upcoming issue of this graduate student journal and encouraged MA and PhD students to apply for two positions that are opening up on its editorial board. Representing the John Adams Institute, Ian Kenny and Sean Cotter showcased the institute’s upcoming program and drew attention to its Young Minds initiative, which provides opportunities for students to publish articles and contribute to programming.
Jeanine Quené, postdoctoral researcher at the RIAS, gave the keynote. Her lecture -“Safeguarding Womanhood: The Paradoxes of Women’s Conservatism in the Long Twentieth Century” – analyzed two tensions among conservative female leaders: the first between public professions of traditionalism and personal acts of liberation; the second revolving around defense of the patriarchy as a purportedly feminist endeavor. Jeanine homed in on the case studies of Alma White (a bishop of a breakaway church) and Phyllis Schlafly (the leader of the campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment) to explore the central paradoxes of women’s conservatism. A lively Q and A followed and Jeanine continued to field questions off-mic after the session officially closed for lunch.
For NASA members, the lunch break included the Annual General Meeting. This gathering provided an opportunity to reflect on the association’s current status amidst ongoing challenges facing higher education, as well as to plan for the future with renewed energy and commitment. Members reviewed the annual report, which confirmed NASA’s financial health, and discussed upcoming events, notably the international conference “A Water’s History of the US,” scheduled for May in Middelburg, and a Student Career Day planned for June in Nijmegen.
Student presentations are at the heart of Amerikanistendag, and this year they took place in nine panels, across two sessions. The themes explored (and respective panel chairs) were: literary angles (George Blaustein, UvA); transnational approaches (Fraser Raeburn, UvA); contemporary discourses (Ruud Janssens, UvA); nature and culture (Damian Pargas, RIAS, LU); media and messaging (Frank Mehring, RU); resistance and identity (Manon Parry, VU, UvA); gender and sexuality (Jeanine Quené, RIAS); challenging the status quo (Jaap Kooijman, UvA); and war and anti-war (Heleen Blommers, RU). More details, including the names of all presenters, can be found in the final program linked here, which showcases the diversity of students’ approaches and research topics.
The announcement of the winners of the Theodore Roosevelt American History Award followed. This year, the TRAHA jury—Dario Fazzi (Chair, RIAS), Sarah Snyder (American University), Katy Hull (University of Amsterdam), Manar Ellethy (Utrecht University), and Stef Lage Venterink (2024 winner)—reviewed nine excellent theses reflecting the dynamism and critical engagement of American Studies students in the Netherlands.
The 2025 TRAHA winner was Maud Rijks, recognized for her compelling thesis on Greenpeace’s toxic tours of the Great Lakes. Her research combined meticulous archival work with powerful storytelling, highlighting environmental activism, local alliances, and resistance to industrial power. The jury also awarded honorable mentions to Kirsten Soer, for her insightful analysis of American women’s roles during the US occupation of Okinawa, and to Davide Lamparelli, for his innovative study of 19th-century American newspapers as vehicles for transnational solidarity. Congratulations to all!
In the late afternoon, Amerikanistendag moved from the grand, light-filled space of the Doelenzaal in the UvA library, to an appropriately functional brick-lined and windowless antechamber, for drinks, snacks, laughter, and friendships -old and new.