Lauren Lauret is a university lecturer at the Institute for History.

More information about Lauren Lauret

Research

Meeting practices of the Dutch States General and the continuity of the early modern world of the political (1780-1848)

Between 1780 and 1848 the Dutch Republic transformed into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Supervised by prof. dr. H. te Velde and prof. dr. I.J.A. Nijenhuis, this project studies elements of continuity in the meeting culture of the States General during this revolutionary period in Dutch history. Traditionally, this topic has been studied as a typical element of the long 19th century. As part of the research specialization ‘Political Culture and National Idenities’, this research seeks to overcome an excessive focus on periodical uniqueness by studying the cultural aspects of the political realm of the States General during a fundamental period of political transition in Dutch history. Despite the many constitutional changes witnessed by the Dutch provinces over the course of this period, the practice of meeting at a national level in The Hague, be it in the States General or its revolutionary replacements, continued. The interesting field of historical tensions between constitutional changes and continuity in the political practice of historical actors stands at the project’s center of attention. In researching this topic and period from the perspective of the early modern world of the political, looking for elements of continuity rather than revolutionary change, this study transgresses the traditional border in existing historiography. To view these early modern elements as continuations of the early modern institutional political culture rather than as mere signs of momentarily relapses to archaic habits or as slips otherwise correct procedure, makes for an improved understanding of this world of the political and for an innovative addition to the long history of the States General.

Teaching activities

Next year: Bachelor seminar (3rd year students) on the history of the States General, Vaderlandse Geschiedenis (1st year students).

Curriculum vitae

Lauren Lauret completed the Research Master Historical Studies at the Radboud University Nijmegen (cum laude). She wrote her MA thesis on Nijmegen mayor and delegate to the States General Johan Kelffken (ca. 1530 – ca. 1611). The career path of this office-holder allowed for a unique insight into the working relation between local and provincial representative institutions and the States General. In order to use the concept of the early modern world of the political and its symbolical political communication as theoretical framework, she spent a semester as Student Fellow at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster supervised by Professor of Early Modern History B. Stollberg-Rilinger. At the Palatium Summerschool on ‘Court Residences as Places of Exchange in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe III’ she studied the architecture of political representation. As an extension of her MA thesis she participated in the Huygens ING research project ‘Repertory of Office-holders 1428-1861’. During her BA in History (cum laude) Lauren completed the extra-curricular Radboud Honours Academy Humanities Programme by researching the transition of norms and values in political thought regarding the Restoration monarchy of Charles II Stuart (r. 1660-1685). She wrote her BA thesis on the Defensio Regia pro Carolo I by Claude Saumaise (1588-1653). Next to her studies Lauren worked as a student assistant at the Department of History of the Radboud University Nijmegen. For the Department’s official periodical Ex Tempore – Verleden Tijdschrift she was active as editor and board secretary. At the 2014 conference of the Koninklijk Nederlands Historisch Genootschap she was a social media reporter.