Draining the Past

Engineer Johan van Veen is widely regarded as the “father” of the Dutch Delta Works, a series of sea defence structures which protect parts of the Netherlands against storm surges. When the construction started, the plans were unprecedented in scale and wagered on technologies that were not yet invented. Nonetheless, this article shows that Van Veen defended his daring, innovative, and expensive megaproject by telling a narrative about 24 centuries of national, Dutch history. Drawing inspiration from the Narrative Policy Framework developed by policy researchers, it analyses Van Veen’s English-language book Dredge, Drain, Reclaim (1948–1962). Here, the engineer created a plot in which the Delta Works were the logical climax of Dutch history.