History of Communication Science in the Netherlands
This page serves as a platform for contributions about the history of Communication Science in the Netherlands.
On the occasion of ASCoR’s 25th anniversary, 48 colleagues have written an open access book on fundamental insights from the institute, titled “Communication Research into the Digital Society”. The book provides an in-depth overview of the cutting edge academic work produced by the ASCoR researchers and is a great introduction to the important and exciting field of Communicational Science. Two chapters of this book explicitly address ASCoR’s history as a research institute and are shared separately below.
Additionally, this history page contains two articles that contribute to the history of Communication Science in the Netherlands. The article by prof. dr. Joan Hemels gives an overview of the history of Communication Science in the Netherlands, while the publication by dr. Jaap van Ginneken is a biography of the life and work of pioneer Kurt Baschwitz. Please note: the content of these additional contributions is not necessarily authored by ASCoR or members of ASCoR. ASCoR cannot take credit or responsibility for the content of the contributions.
If you'd like to contribute to this page, please contact the ASCoR secretariat
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ASCoR 25th anniversary book: ‘Communication Research into the Digital Society’
Link to the Open Access publication:
Communication Research into the Digital Society
Links to the chapters on ASCoR’s history:
Neijens, P., Zwier, S., de Vreese, C. H., Peter, J., Vliegenthart, R., & Araujo, T. (2024). How international, national, and local research strategies shaped ASCoR ’s history in its first 25 years. In T. Araujo & P. Neijens (Eds.), Communication research into the digital society: Fundamental insights from the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (pp. 11-31). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.11895525.4
Neijens, P., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2024). How technological and societal developments shaped the agenda of ASCoR. In T. Araujo & P. Neijens (Eds.), Communication research into the digital society: Fundamental insights from the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (pp. 33-50). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.11895525.5”
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The History of Communication Science in The Netherlands
Prof dr. Joan Hemels wrote a concise history of Communication Science in The Netherlands, covering its pioneers, its institutionalisation and recognition as a science.
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Kurt Baschwitz - Pioneer of Communication Science
Kurt Baschwitz in 1966 Kurt Baschwitz (1886-1968) fled to Amsterdam immediately after Hitler came to power in 1933. He was nominated 'private lecturer' on the press in 1935, which was part of at the History Section of the Faculty for Literature and Philosophy at the time. From 1936-1937 onward, he created a press nucleus at the newly founded International Institute of Social History. In 1940, the German occupier imposed his dismissal as a Jew. Upon the liberation of the Netherlands, he was reinstated. In 1945 as a 'private lecturer', in 1946 as an ordinary lecturer, and as professor in 1948. He retired in phases between 1957 and 1959.
In 2017 dr. Jaap van Ginneken published his biography ‘Kurt Baschwitz – A Pioneer of Communication Studies and Social Psychology’ (AUP), followed in 2018 by the abbreviated Dutch version 'Kurt Baschwitz – Peetvader van journalistiek en communicatie' (AMB).
A year after the publication of the book, an open access pdf version of the biography has been made available in English.
ASCoR is pleased that dr. van Ginneken was kind enough to share the notes and documents he used in preparation of writing the biography, as they might be useful for future researchers. Download the Baschwitz files here.