Defending French in Flanders, 1873–1974: Between Liberty and Identity

ISBN-13: 9783031109164 / Angielski / Twarda / 2023

David J. Hensley

Opis

This book examines the efforts of the French-speaking minority in Flanders, Belgium, to maintain a legal and social presence of the French language in Flemish public life. Chronologically, the study is bookended by two developments, almost exactly a century apart. In 1873, the first laws were passed which regulated the use of language in public administration in Flanders, challenging the de facto use of French among the Flemish ruling class. One hundred and one years later, the last French daily newspaper in Flanders collapsed, reflecting the death of a once vibrant French-speaking community. The author argues that the methods and arguments by which French speakers defended the role of French in Flemish public life changed along with the social and political situation of this minority. As the Flemish movement grew over the course of the twentieth century, appeals for the ‘free choice’ of language evolved into claims that French speakers in Flanders represented an ethnolinguistic minority who deserved protection for their mother tongue. Providing new insights for scholars of European history, this book demonstrates how the debate over the role of French in Flanders was at the centre of Belgium’s ethnolinguistic conflict - the repercussions of which continue to be felt to this day..

Spis treści

Introduction

1 Unquestioned Dominance? The Implausible Challenge of French by Dutch before World War I

2 A War of Words: Invasion, Occupation and the Shattering of Flanders’ Linguistic Equilibrium, 1914-1918

3 From Resurgence to Retreat: The French-Speakers of Flanders from the End of World War I to the Language Laws of the 1930s

4 An Uneasy Status Quo, 1932-1960

5 Decline and Fall: The Last Fights for French in Flanders, 1960-1974

Conclusion: The Long Shadow of the Francophones of Flanders

O autorze

David J. Hensley is Associate Professor of History at Georgia Highlands College, USA. He previously taught at Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Central Oklahoma.

Blurb

This book examines the efforts of the French-speaking minority in Flanders, Belgium to maintain a legal and social presence of the French language in Flemish public life. Chronologically, the study is bookended by two developments, almost exactly a century apart. In 1873, the first laws were passed which required the use of Dutch in some aspects of public administration in Flanders, challenging the de facto use of French among the Flemish ruling class. One hundred and one years later, the last French daily newspaper in Flanders collapsed, marking the end of a once-vibrant French-language public sphere in Flanders. The author contends that the methods and arguments by which French speakers defended the role of French in Flemish public life changed along with the social and political situation of this minority. As the Flemish movement grew over the course of the twentieth century, French speakers’ appeals to the “free choice” of language lost traction, and they put forward claims that they represented an ethnolinguistic minority who deserved protection for their mother tongue. Providing new insights for scholars of European history, and in conversation with the literature on liberalism, national identity, and Francophonie, this book demonstrates how the debate over the role of French in Flanders was at the center of Belgium’s ethnolinguistic conflict – the repercussions of which continue to be felt to this day.

David J. Hensley is Associate Professor of History at Georgia Highlands College, USA. He previously taught at Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Central Oklahoma.