A new light on Hendrik Arent Hamaker The Dutch scholar Hendrik Arent Hamaker made an important contribution to the development of philology and oriental studies in the early nineteenth century. Yet, his role, if not neglected, has at least been undervalued in the historiography, says Hendri Schut. Mr Schut now plans to re-examine Hamaker’s life and work, placing his ideas within the wider context of the period The early nineteenth century was an important period in the development of not only oriental studies, but science and scholarship at large, as methodological changes laid the foundations of the more specialised academic disciplines that we know today. As Professor of Oriental Languages at Leiden University and Keeper of its treasure-trove of oriental manuscripts during part of this period, Hendrik Arent Hamaker made an important contribution to the development of philology and oriental studies. “Hamaker was a philologist, he focused on language as fixed in ancient texts,” says Hendri Schut, an independent researcher at Leiden University. While Hamaker was widely known in Holland at the time, Schut believes his role has been somewhat neglected in the historiography of philological scholarship. “I think that his role in the development of oriental studies during this period is more significant than has been acknowledged,” he says, adding: “Hamaker introduced the up-to-date critical methodology in Dutch oriental philology, thereby lifting it to what was then the modern scholarly standard.” Reviving a Keeper of an Oriental Treasure: H.A. Hamaker (1789-1835). This contribution raises the issue of the feasibility of using the term ‘romantic’ in describing and analysing the work of scholars from around 1800. It tries to do so by the example of the important but neglected Dutch orientalist Hendrik Arent Hamaker (1789-1835). Can he be seen as a ‘romantic’ scholar? Hendri Schut Affiliation: Independent Ph.D. – candidate Leiden University Graduate School of Humanities History Department E: hendri.schut@kickmail.nl E: h.w.schut@hum.leidenuniv.nl W: https://www.nwo.nl/en/research-andresults/research-projects/i/88/9588.html W: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/ en/staffmembers/hendri-schut#tab-1 Hendri Schut is a teacher of History and Classics. In 2012 he successfully applied for a “teachers-scholarship” to pursue scholarly research, which will also help broaden, deepen and improve his teaching. He studied General History and Ancient History at Nijmegen University, taking courses in Classical Literature, Semitic Languages, Archaeology and Egyptology.
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Work in progress: trying to carefully unfold an early 19th-century charter in Arabic script.
Hendrik Arent Hamaker (1789-1835) This is a topic that Mr Schut now aims to re-examine, placing Hamaker’s views and ideas within the wider context of the cultural, social and political climate of the time. From the eighteenth century, oriental studies had started to become valued as more than just the handmaiden of theology, and beyond that of interest only for interpreting in international diplomacy. Alongside the dominant languages of Hebrew and Arabic, other semitic and nonsemitic oriental languages, like Persian and Sanskrit, came into the European scope. Interest in oriental cultures, societies and languages became more widespread. At the same time these languages came to be studied in a more systematic and methodical way. “In the Netherlands at the start of the nineteenth century Hamaker clearly takes part in this development, inaugurating a reflourishing of Dutch oriental studies which lasts until the present day,” says Mr Schut, assessing Hamaker’s role. Hamaker’s work in this area is notable for its variety, encompassing different areas of scholarly research. In particular, he played a major role in exploring the structure of different oriental languages and the relationship between them. “He explicity described himself as the first person in the Netherlands to seriously study the relationship between Sanskrit and certain European languages,” continues Mr Schut. “He also published several medieval Arabic manuscripts on geography and history in the collection of the Leiden University library.” The importance of his contribution and
his pioneering work in what would later become sub-disciplines of oriental studies has not been widely acknowledged in the subsequent historiography and analysis of the period however. Some scholars have argued that the motivation behind the development of oriental studies was closely linked to the emergence of western imperialism; Schut likes to take a less axiomatic-conceptual and more narrative approach. “I think that taking an inductive method in looking at the development of oriental studies, brings one closer to the realities of that development. Investigating an individual orientalist lessens the risk of drawing too far reaching conclusions about Europe’s encounter with the Orient too soon,” he explains. While Hamaker was of course a child of his time, and labelling phenomena within that time may be of help, Schut believes it’s important to look at individual motivations behind studying oriental languages. “I think that this does more justice to what Hamaker’s reality was than trying to fit him into a bigger, pre-conceived picture,” he says. This reality was informed by the intellectual environment at the time. The early nineteenth century was a time of intense scholarly and research activity, which also coincided with the emergence of the romantic movement, yet Schut is wary of describing Hamaker as a romantic scholar. “There is an undeniable connection between the romantic movement and oriental studies, but it’s complex, we can’t simply say: ‘with the rise of the romantic movement a new type of scholar comes to the fore, distinctly different from earlier types of scholars, and for which the label ‘romantic scholar’ would be justified’,” he stresses. Nevertheless, the romantic movement is an important factor when considering the period; Schut plans to continue his research in this area, filling a gap in our understanding and bringing Hamaker’s name to wider prominence. “I plan to write a doctoral thesis about Hamaker based on my research, and to establish his role in the development of oriental studies.”
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