Culture, identity and nationalism
Subtitle: French Flanders in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
By: Timothy Baycroft.
Series: Royal Historical Society studies in history.
Publisher: Royal Historical Society; Boydell Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: London; Rochester, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 233
Subjects: Regionalism -- France -- Flanders.; Group identity -- France -- Flanders.; Flemings -- France -- Ethnic identity.; Flanders (France) -- History -- 19th century.; Flanders (France) -- Politics and government -- 19th century.; Flanders (France) -- History -- 20th century.; Flanders (France) -- Politics and government -- 20th century.
Description: "This study examines the evolution of national and regional, cultural and political identities in that northern region of France which borders Belgium, over the two centuries which followed the French Revolution. During that time the region was transformed by the development of the industrial economy, population shifts, war and occupation, and numerous changes of political regime." "Through an analysis of a wide range of issues, including language, regional and national political movements, educational policy, attitudes towards immigrants and the border, the press, trade unions, and the church - as well as the attitude of the French State - the author questions traditional interpretations of the process of national assimilation in France."

"In the course of his study, Dr. Baycroft also throws a light on how the Franco-Belgian border, originally an arbitrary line through a culturally homogeneous region, became not only a significant marker for the identity of the French Flemish, but a real cultural division."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-227) and index.