In the sharply divided nineteenth century Dutch society, father and son Van Limburg Brouwer, a professor of Classics and a philosopher and parliamentarian, fought for tolerance and dialogue. With literature as their weapon, they engaged in discussions about theology, education and colonial politics. Contemporaries looked on with mingled admiration and annoyance.
This project will produce an intellectual double biography on these idiosyncratic, as yet barely studied authors. The research question focuses on the intellectual development of father and son Van Limburg Brouwer and the influence of the father on the son in their efforts to influence social discourse. The project examines how they used literature in the nineteenth century to promote tolerance and dialogue in a society divided by questions of conflict.