A Ball for the Refused

Struggle over Literary Freedom within the Dutch Literary Field

Authors

  • Marit van de Warenburg Utrecht University
  • Thomas van Gaalen Utrecht University

Abstract

Although Bourdieuian scholars have analyzed the literary field’s participation in social struggles, few studies have sought to chart the dynamics of protest and clash that occur within the field. This article aims to provide a first step in doing so through a discourse analysis of the 2002 schism between the Boekenbal (“Book Ball”), a high-profile Dutch literary festival, and its symbolic rival, the Bal der Geweigerden (“Ball of the Refused”), which was announced in response to the Boekenbal’s perceived neglect of literature in favor of commerce. The article shows that the BdG’s inconsistent re-use of dominant narratives and ideas regarding literature and its place in society added to an already growing insecurity about long-held literary values, and might have contributed to the bankruptcy of several of these values throughout the 2000s. 

Author Biographies

  • Marit van de Warenburg, Utrecht University

    Marit van de Warenburg is a Research Master student of Comparative Literary Studies at Utrecht University. She acquired a BA in German and English Language and Culture at the same university. Her current research focuses on the afterlives of protest songs.

  • Thomas van Gaalen, Utrecht University

    Thomas van Gaalen is a Research Master student of History at Utrecht University. He holds a BA in History and an MA in Cultural History. His current research analyzes developments in the cultural protest tools used by protest movements on opposite sides of the social, political and cultural spectrum.

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Published

2026-04-18

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 1 (2021): Literature and Activism

Section

Article

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

van de Warenburg, M., & van Gaalen, T. (2026). A Ball for the Refused: Struggle over Literary Freedom within the Dutch Literary Field. FRAME, Journal of Literary Studies, 34(1), 133-148. https://platform.openjournals.nl/FRAME/article/view/27202