Macht der gewoonte. Regels en rituelen in de Tweede Kamer na 1945

Abstract

In The Power of Habit. Rules and rituals in Dutch Parliament since 1945 the concept of parliamentary culture is used for a close and comprehensive examination of the cultural identity of the main representative and legislative body of the Netherlands, otherwise known as the Second Chamber. This dissertation analyses continuity and change in Dutch parliamentary culture between 1945 and 1995 – with some excursions into the new millennium. Questioning its apparently stable appearance, the main aim is to historicise the ways in which parliament as an institution is constantly reinvented and performed. Not only by means of rules and procedures, but also by means of language, symbols and ritualised behaviour including everyday practices. Indeed, by ‘doing politics’ in parliament, members of parliament continuously give meaning to what parliament is and how it should work.