Cornelis van der Haven is assistant professor at Ghent University in the field of early modern Dutch literature. He studied Comparative Literature at Utrecht University and wrote a dissertation about the institutional dynamics of early modern theatre repertoires in the context of urban culture. He published widely about the history of Dutch and German theatre and literature in the 17th and 18th centuries, with a strong focus on the role of literary texts in shaping cultural and social identities. Currently, he is working on a book publication with the provisional title "Enlightenment at War": Epic Poetry, the Citizen and Discursive Bridges to the Military (1740-1800).