Batavia Academica: 'Clubblad' van een prille discipline

For ten years (1983-1993) Batavia Academica. Bulletin van de Nederlandse Werkgroep Universiteitsgeschiedenis functioned as newsletter/journal of the Dutch Study group for the History of Universities. Although the number of scientific articles was limited, the Bulletin (which appeared twice a year) was important in building the (sub)discipline of the history of universities in the Netherlands. Especially the publishing of a bibliography and the announcement of seminars and conferences was important in moulding individual researchers into a group with a common objective. Analysis of the scientific contributions to the Bulletin shows that they were mostly on medieval and early modern subjects. Interesting is also the role of legal historians in the early years of the history of universities as a (sub)discipline, which matches international developments (e.g. in the International Commission for the History of Universities).