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Jeroen Dewulf (born 1972) is a Belgian scholar specializing in
Folklore Studies Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...
,
Dutch culture Dutch culture may refer to: * used more narrowly, the Culture of the Netherlands * used more widely, the culture of Dutch-speaking Europe, including: **Dutch architecture **Dutch literature ** Dutch music ** Dutch festivities **Dutch folklore Se ...
, the
Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...
,
German Studies German studies is an academic field that researches, documents and disseminates German language, literature, and culture in its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies therefore often focus on German culture, German h ...
,
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
and
African-American culture African-American culture, also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English, refers to the cultural expressions of African Americans, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. African-American/Bl ...
, Caribbean Studies, and
Latin American Studies Latin American studies (LAS) is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. The interdisciplinary study is a subfield of area studies, and can be composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, histor ...
. He is a professor at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
.


Biography

Dewulf was born in 1972 in
Nieuwpoort, Belgium Nieuwpoort ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in Flemish Region, Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town o ...
. He was educated at
Ghent University Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...
,
University of Porto The University of Porto (''Universidade do Porto'') is a Portuguese public research university located in Porto, and founded on 22 March 1911. It is the second largest Portuguese university by number of enrolled students, after the University ...
and the
University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...
. Since 2007, he teaches in the Foklore Program and the German department at the University of California, Berkeley. From 2014 until 2024, he was the director of Institute of European Studies at University of California, Berkeley.


Works

Dewulf works mainly on
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
and
African-American culture African-American culture, also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English, refers to the cultural expressions of African Americans, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. African-American/Bl ...
in
Dutch Brazil Dutch Brazil (; ), also known as New Holland (), was a colony of the Dutch Republic in the northeastern portion of modern-day Brazil, controlled from 1630 to 1654 during Dutch colonization of the Americas. The main cities of the colony were the c ...
,
New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...
and
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, most notably the legacy of
Pinkster Pinkster is a spring (season), spring festival, taking place in late May or early June. The name is a variation of the Dutch language, Dutch word ''Pinksteren'', meaning "Pentecost". ''Pinkster'' in English language, English refers to the festival ...
and
Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth (; born Isabella Bomefree; November 26, 1883) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and Temperance movement, alcohol temperance. Truth was ...
in his book ''The Pinkster King and the King of Kongo: The Forgotten History of America's Dutch-Owned Slaves'' (2017), and in
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, most notably the origins of the
Mardi Gras Indians The Mardi Gras Indians (also known as Black Masking Indians or Black Maskers) are African American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for their elaborate suits and participation in Mardi Gras. The Mardi Gras Indians subculture em ...
in his book ''From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square: Kongo Dances and the Origins of the Mardi Gras Indians'' (2017). His book ''Afro-Atlantic Catholics: America's First Black Christians'' (2022) presents a new perspective on the history of Black Christianity. His research on the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
led to new theories on the origins of the
Calinda Calinda (also spelled kalinda or kalenda) is a martial art, as well as a kind of folk music and war dance in the Caribbean which arose in the 1720s. It was brought to the Caribbean by Africans In the transatlantic slave trade and is based on nat ...
and
Junkanoo Junkanoo (also Jonkonnu) is a festival that originated during the period of African chattel slavery in British American colonies. It is practiced most notably in The Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize, and historically in North Carolina and Miami, w ...
. In 2021, he also presented a new theory on the origins of a festive tradition in Brazil, known as ''cucumbi''. Dewulf also studies Dutch colonial and
postcolonial literature Postcolonial literature is the literature by people from formerly colonized countries, originating from all continents except Antarctica. Postcolonial literature often addresses the problems and consequences of the colonization and subsequent deco ...
from the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
and
the Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America to the west, a ...
, including authors such as
Tjalie Robinson Tjalie Robinson is the main alias of the Indo (Eurasian) intellectual and writer Jan Boon (10 January 1911 – 22 April 1974) also known as Vincent Mahieu. His father Cornelis Boon, a Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) sergeant, was Dutch ...
, Albert Helman ( Lou Lichtveld) and Tip Marugg. Together with Olf Praamstra and
Michiel van Kempen Michaël Henricus Gertrudis (Michiel) van Kempen (born 4 April 1957) is a Dutch writer, art historian and literary critic. He has written novels, short stories, essays, travel literature and scenarios. He was the compiler of a huge range of anth ...
, he edited the book ''Shifting the Compass'' (2013); with Luc Renders, he published an anthology of Flemish literature on the Congo (2020). He is also a specialist in the works of the
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
author Hugo Loetscher and is the testamentary executor of his archival papers at the
Swiss National Library The Swiss National Library (, , , ) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office of Culture, it is charged with collecting, cataloging and conserving information in all fields, disciplines, and media connected with Switzerla ...
. In ''Hugo Loetscher und die Portugiesischsprachige Welt'' (1999), he studied Loetscher's work about
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and the relics of the former commercial empire of the Portuguese in Asia and Oceania. In 2005, he published ''In alle Richtungen gehen. Reden und Aufsätze über Hugo Loetscher'' in cooperation with Rosmarie Zeller and in 2016, he edited a book with travel reports from Loetscher about Brazil entitled ''Das Entdecken erfinden''. In ''Brasilien hit Brüchen'' (2007), he also focused on other Swiss writers in Brazil, including
Johann Jakob von Tschudi Johann Jakob von Tschudi (25 July 1818 – 8 October 1889) was a Switzerland, Swiss naturalist, explorer, and diplomat. He is known for his travels in South America, his scientific contributions to zoology and anthropology, and his diplomatic se ...
,
Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he recei ...
,
Blaise Cendrars Frédéric-Louis Sauser (1 September 1887 – 21 January 1961), better known as Blaise Cendrars (), was a Swiss-born novelist and poet who became a naturalized French citizen in 1916. He was a writer of considerable influence in the European ...
, and Richard Katz. In 2004, he published ''Gramática da língua neerlandesa'', the first grammar book of the
Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...
written in Portuguese. In 2010, he wrote ''Spirit of Resistance'', a book on clandestine literature by the
Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...
in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, using the Dutch clandestine book collection at the
Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...
. In 2014, he became the director of Institute of European Studies at University of California, Berkeley. In 2014, he was distinguished with the Hendricks Award of the
New Netherland Institute The New Netherland Institute (formerly Friends of the New Netherland Project) is a non-profit organization created to support the translation and publication of 17th-century Dutch documents from the period of the Dutch colonization of New Netherla ...
for his research on
New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...
and the first slave community on
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. In 2015, he was distinguished with the Louisiana History President's Memorial Award and both in 2015 and 1016, he received the Clague and Carol Van Slyke Prize. His book on the Mardi Gras Indians won the 2018
Independent Publisher Book Awards The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also styled as the IPPY Awards, are a set of annual literary awards for independently published books. They are the longest-running unaffiliated contest open exclusively to independent presses. The IPPY Aw ...
Southeast Non-Fiction Gold Medal. His 2022 book on the history of Black Christianity was awarded the 2023
John Gilmary Shea Prize The John Gilmary Shea Prize is an annual award given by the American Catholic Historical Association for the most original and distinguished contribution to knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church. Established in 1945, it is named in honor ...
by the American Catholic Historical Association.


Books

* ''Hugo Loetscher und die 'Portugiesischsprachige Welt (Bern: Peter Lang Verlag, 1999). * ''Gramática da Língua Neerlandesa'' (São Paulo: Humanitas, 2004) * (with Rosmarie Zeller) ''In alle Richtungen gehen. Reden und Aufsätze über Hugo Loetscher'' (Zürich: Diogenes Verlag, 2005) * ''Brasilien mit Brüchen. Schweizer unter dem Kreuz des Südens'' (Zürich: Verlag der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung, 2007) * ''Spirit of Resistance: Dutch Clandestine Literature during the Nazi Occupation'' (Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2010) * (with Olf Praamstra and Michiel van Kempen) ''Shifting the Compass: Pluricontinental Connections in Dutch Colonial and Postcolonial Literature'' (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013) * (editor) ''Hugo Loetscher: Das Entdecken erfinden'' (Zürich: Diogenes Verlag, 2016) * ''The Pinkster King and the King of Kongo: The Forgotten History of America's Dutch-Owned Slaves'' (Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2017) * ''From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square: Kongo Dances and the Origins of the Mardi Gras Indians'' (Lafayette: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2017) * ''Grijs slavernijverleden? Over zwarte milities en redimoesoegedrag'' (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2018) * ''The Congo in Flemish Literature: An Anthology of Flemish Prose on the Congo, 1870s - 1990s'' (Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2020) * ''Afro-Atlantic Catholics: America's First Black Christians'' (Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press, 2022)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewulf, Jeroen 1972 births Belgian academics University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty Ghent University alumni University of Porto alumni University of Bern alumni Date of birth missing (living people) People from Nieuwpoort, Belgium Living people