The slaves of Sinterklaas. The escalation of the public debate on Dutch tradition ; „Niewolnicy świętego Mikołaja”. Eskalacja debaty społecznej wokół holenderskiej tradycji

This paper examines the public debate about Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas (Saint-Nicolas) and particularly the character of Zwarte Piet, the black-faced helper. His apparent racist nature has been subject of debate in Dutch media for years. However, in 2013 the debate escalated and provoked social conflicts and verbal aggression. The paper gives some explanations why this happened. The case of Zwarte Piet is noteworthy because it shows that Dutch society, well-known for being tolerant and open-minded, is not entirely free of ethnic and national tensions. This Old Dutch tradition that had been... Mehr ...