The Dutch presence in North America has been best preserved in the two largest denominations, the Reformed Church and Christian Reformed Church. But
outside these denominations seven more developed over time, of which some are hardly visible for outsiders, and also non-protestant groups tried to stay
together. The eighteen essays in this volume describe the ways in which small groups of Dutch immigrants made efforts to maintain their identities in the United
States and Canada between 1800 and 2000. Until now, many of those groups had never been objects of academic research. In the essays presented here, the
Dutch, American, and Canadian authors zoom in on the connections of these groups with the Netherlands, with other Dutch-Americans, and other ethnic
groups. All of them faced the issues of language and education. An exclusivist worldview, strong leadership, local organizations and national networks helped
best to preserve identities, but did not preclude the influence of processes of assimilation and modernization. Among the groups covered here are Roman
Catholics, Pentecostals, and Social Democrats, while the Protestants spread out in the True Reformed Dutch Church, the Netherlands Reformed
Congregations, the Free Reformed Churches, the Protestant Reformed Churches, and the Canadian Reformed Churches. Additional presentations analyze the
social capital structure of immigrant groups, family life, labor unions, and business ventures. All these factors contributed to the longevity of these morsels in the
melting pot of North America.
outside these denominations seven more developed over time, of which some are hardly visible for outsiders, and also non-protestant groups tried to stay
together. The eighteen essays in this volume describe the ways in which small groups of Dutch immigrants made efforts to maintain their identities in the United
States and Canada between 1800 and 2000. Until now, many of those groups had never been objects of academic research. In the essays presented here, the
Dutch, American, and Canadian authors zoom in on the connections of these groups with the Netherlands, with other Dutch-Americans, and other ethnic
groups. All of them faced the issues of language and education. An exclusivist worldview, strong leadership, local organizations and national networks helped
best to preserve identities, but did not preclude the influence of processes of assimilation and modernization. Among the groups covered here are Roman
Catholics, Pentecostals, and Social Democrats, while the Protestants spread out in the True Reformed Dutch Church, the Netherlands Reformed
Congregations, the Free Reformed Churches, the Protestant Reformed Churches, and the Canadian Reformed Churches. Additional presentations analyze the
social capital structure of immigrant groups, family life, labor unions, and business ventures. All these factors contributed to the longevity of these morsels in the
melting pot of North America.
