A DUTCH SODOM AND GOMORRAH - DEGENERATES, MORALISTS AND AUTHORITY IN YERSEKE, 1870-1914

In 1870, the Dutch state privatized several oyster banks in Zeeland wa ters. This measure brought about a rapid capitalization of the oyster industry. The Zeeland town of Yerseke soon became the national centre of oyster farming and trade. Initially, oyster farming was quite succe ssful. Yerseke turned into an affluent country town which attracted hu ndreds of migrants. When by the mid-1880s serious problems assailed th e oyster industry, a large number of people left the town, although ne wcomers were continually arriving. In the wake of these developments t he community's social organization changed drastically and social cont rol withered. Fights, drunkenness and theft were part and parcel of ev erday life. In the course of the 1890s, this social disorganization wa s checked by the civilizing missions of churches and the disciplining offensives of the local authorities and police. Perhaps even more impo rtant was the increasing social integration of the village community. The present article aims to uncover the dynamics and interrelations of these processes.