Virginia Blanton was a Fulbright Scholar in Literature at the University of Antwerp in the 2023-24 academic year. She spent the year doing research with UAntwerpen and the Onderzoeksinstituut Ruusbroecgenootschap. During the year, she investigated the English nuns of Syon Abbey who sought Catholic sanctuary in Flanders during the Reformation, as well as the local communities that supported and resisted their presence in the Low Countries. Blanton investigated Belgian repositories for their lost books and evidence of their time in Antwerp and the surrounding region.
Q: Describe your grant project.
My project focuses on the transmission of women’s book culture and investigates documentary evidence of English Catholic nuns in Flanders between 1551 and 1580. As a contemplative order, the Birgittines of Syon Abbey, a wealthy and influential community, cultivated devotional reading material. I have spent my Fulbright year searching archives and libraries for books, charters, and letters from their time in Antwerp and the surrounding region. I have been a Visiting Scholar of the Onderzoekscentrum Ruusbroecgenootschap at the Universiteit Antwerpen, which is a center for research on spirituality in the Low Countries. Collaborating with colleagues at the Ruusbroec, especially Patricia Stoop and John Arblaster, has provided opportunities to meet faculty across the Low Countries and to visit archives important to my work.
Q: What inspired you to apply to the Fulbright Program in Belgium?
Fulbright offers the opportunity to conduct international research while also immersing oneself in a country’s culture for an extended period of time. My research project helped determine the location but it is the multicultural and multilingual opportunities in Belgium that I wanted to experience. It was also possible to bring my partner and nine-year-old daughter, who has benefited so much from her time in Antwerp. She has been in a French immersion school in the USA, so we placed her in an international French school where she also learns Dutch and engages with a range of students from all over the world. It has been very good for her – and for us. Belgium is also the center of the European Union, which means that we get to live among an international community – some expats from the USA but most from other countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.
Q: What have you accomplished during your time in Belgium? What can you tell us about the initial outcomes of your research?
The most significant result of my research is the network of librarians and archivists who have supported my project. My project has been enriched by their knowledge, and I look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate. I am also quite pleased that I have found four manuscripts that are connected to Syon Abbey. What I did not anticipate was how many Birgittine books in Dutch I would examine here and how my knowledge about the Flemish sisters would develop. I also did not expect to find so many other English manuscripts in the region, which offers new opportunities for future research.
Q: Describe a typical day in your life.
Much of my time has been spent in various archives and figuring out how to get access. First, I must reserve a seat in the reading room (and not all websites are translated into English, so this can be a bit confusing). Then, I must reserve the manuscripts I wish to examine, usually at least two days before. If I do not yet have a reader’s card for that archive, I must register for one, though in some locations, I can do that upon arrival. When I travel to an archive, it’s important to remember several key items, which I carry in a clear plastic bag: a one-euro coin for the locker to store my coat, a pencil and notebook (no pens allowed), my laptop, phone, and chargers, measuring tape, a tissue, reader’s card, cough drop (so I won’t disturb other readers), and lip balm because I usually stay all day without a break. After stowing my coat and backpack, I wash my hand thoroughly to remove oils / lotion that might transfer to items in Special Collections. Once I am in the reading room, I am assigned a seat and the manuscripts brought to my desk. It is easy for me to be so focused I forget lunch. If it is convenient, I will pop out for a cup of tea and return, but mostly I want to use every moment I am there with the manuscripts. I make notes about each manuscript and date them, as well as take photos of individual pages, if I am allowed. I have taken an enormous number of photos, but invariably, I realize I should have taken one more, so often I have to return. Once I am home, I send a note to the archivist to thank them for letting me visit. I may also follow up with queries about how the archive came to have a manuscript, which often leads to very interesting information.
Q: Outside of your work in the archives, how have you engaged with local culture?
I have sought out classical concerts in formerly religious spaces, like churches and convents. It has been great to hear early music in these spaces that are designed acoustically for song. My favorite concert was at the Handelsbeurs Antwerpen, where three pianists performed in a nineteenth-century Gothic hall. It was a gorgeous place to be on a spring evening, listening to music. Looking at the architecture of these spaces while hearing music (especially “Gregorian” chants) is very meditative, and I can imagine the sensory soundscape of the medieval past.
Q: Can you tell us the story of a particular memorable moment(s) from your time in Belgium?
Many experiences come to mind (including yoga among the art with Commission Director Erica Lutes at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp), the best was being invited to give a public lecture on my research as part of the Miraeus Lecture Series. The lecture was offered in the Nottebohmzaal of the Erfgoed Hendrik Conscience, the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library. This public library began in 1481, which is an anomaly. Antwerp is very lucky to have such an amazing heritage library, and the Nottebohmzaal is stunning. That evening, I also met the great nephew of Nottebohmzaal and the heritage specialist, Godfried Croenen, Project leader at Flanders Heritage Libraries (Vlaamse Erfgoedbibliotheken), who has been so helpful in my work.
Q: Has Belgium been what you expected? In what ways has life in Belgium surprised you, either for its similarities to or differences from your own culture?
Yes and no. I had traveled to Belgium before, both to Wallonia and to Flanders. Living in Flanders is wonderful. The Flemish people are particularly open and charming. They are also direct, which I appreciate. Some elements of day-to-day living are very smart such as multiple forms of public transport. I’m still bewildered however by the bike lanes, which allow gas-powered scooters under 25cc to use them. Between the small children on their push scooters to electric personal mobility devices, the bike lanes seem like the wild west. Anything goes except cars and pedestrians! Belgian bureaucracy comes with extraordinary challenges, but the good news is that people are eager to be helpful, if I ask lots of questions. Some surprising things: that one’s date of birth is used as an identifier for library cards and other government-sponsored activities; that the police come to your home to verify your residence; and that most stores are closed on Sundays.
Q: You mentioned that your partner and daughter accompanied you to Belgium. What has the experience been like for them?
It has been fantastic! We have so enjoyed visiting cultural monuments, enjoying activities for children. Local people seem to engage with us more because we have a daughter, so she has been a good ambassador for us. Her school’s museum outings made her the authority on local Antwerp – and she routinely corrects me when I try to take a tram the wrong direction. The adjustment phase for her was hard but she’s already naming all the people and places she will miss when we go home. My husband spent the year as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Antwerp, where he worked with Sabine Van Dorslaer’s physics team; he also enjoyed practicing Aikido at the Antwerpen Aikikai. Peter Van Marcke leads an exceptional dojo, and my husband’s long absence from Aikido (15 years!) has been remedied.
Q: What has been your favorite “discovery” in Belgium?
Most Flemish speakers switch to English, if they hear my accent, but if I try they are very patient with my bumbling through a sentence. They are quick to correct my pronunciation but it is done as a courtesy, not as a critique. They honestly want to help you get better at their language and are sympathetic. They are also more nervous about their English than I would have expected, often apologizing for not being better. Given that my Dutch continues to be so limited, I find that really charming.
Q: What will you do after your Fulbright grant?
I will return to my university to continue to work on this project, but I anticipate I will be back in Belgium within the year. There is far more work to do here on Anglo-Flemish exchanges in the medieval and post-medieval world of nuns, so I look forward to more time in Flanders. Now that I have a good overview of the archives and how to navigate them, I look forward to my next trip and future collaborations with scholars and archivists.
Q: What misconceptions do you think other Americans may have about Belgium? What do you wish everyone knew about Belgium?
It is such a great country to visit, with so many regions, beautiful landscapes, and lovely towns. Americans need to go beyond Bruges or Brussels–and they really need to come to Flanders. Not enough Americans do so, and they really miss out by not experiencing more of the region.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying to the Fulbright Program?
The annual deadline for scholars is 15 September, and scholars should start working on the application by January at the latest, so there is a lot of time for revision, after getting feedback from Fulbright alumni and peers. It’s grant writing but grant writing that has to take into account why a particular location is ideal, what it will offer, and what the Fulbright awardee can offer the community. The last part is really key.
