The sometimes tense relations between the two main communities of Belgium is a subject of great interest to Bernard Rimé, a professor emeritus, a researcher at the UCL Psychological Sciences Research Institute and a specialist in the study of emotions. Viewing the situation through a prism of collective memory and a generation-specific feeling of victimisation, he has tried to find out how the two sides see each other. The key to their living together appears to be in the hands of the young.
The past can weigh heavily, on individual and community alike. In the latter case, it can provoke frustration, resentment and victimisation that pass from generation to generation, in turn fuelling animosity toward those deemed responsible, whether they’re another demographic group or from another region or country. Understanding this can in turn provide a valuable socio-psychological key to understanding a population as a whole.
Belgium’s history is complex, with linguistic communities that appear to have followed different paths, which is of particular interest to Prof. Rimé. ‘As a collective memory specialist in the context of studying emotions,’ he explains, ‘I’m interested in intergroup relations. It’s a prevailing subject in our research. Belgium is a living laboratory. I’ve been especially struck by the Dutch-speaking population: today’s young Flemings find themselves in a comfortable situation relative both to their parents and to French-speakers. This is owing to their region’s strong economic development relative to Wallonia’s, which, after a period of prosperity, has been in steady decline for years.’
Victimisation
When the south was prosperous, one still heard plenty of stories about Flemish frustrations great and slight. ‘A distant but long history of French-speaking domination underlay Flemish struggles. This past fuelled memories of victimisation. And it’s true that French-speakers in Flanders dominated the working and rural classes, who suffered in poverty.’
But this is a distant past. ‘We hypothesised that the memory of victimisation would fade among young Flemings because their quality of life distances them from the painful memories of previous generations. We wanted to test this hypothesis and then, if the facts confirmed it, whether this diminished memory of victimisation translated into any change of attachment to Flanders and to Belgium.’
The study, initiated at UCL, was developed in collaboration with the ULB social psychology team. It targeted 1,226 French-speakers and 1,457 Flemings of three distinct generations: those born after 1983, specifically the period during which state reform was most significant (aged 18 to 28); those born between 1958 and 1982 (29-53); and those born between 1920 and 1957 (54-91). This was the first Belgian study of generation-specific collective memory. It was particularly enlightening and generated much hope.
Mutual recognition of suffering
‘First of all, Flemings and Walloons, respectively, perceive the start of their mutual problems differently. Most of the former feel the problems began at the creation of Belgium itself, in 1830-31, while the latter feel they began around 1930. But what’s probably most important in this study is the recognition not only of one’s own group’s suffering but also of the other’s. Flemings feel they suffered more than French-speakers, and the oldest among them feel this much more intensely than the young, who seem to put it into greater perspective. Among French-speakers, all generations agree they haven’t suffered so much, and they all clearly recognise the suffering Flemings endured—an crucial stepping stone to building dialogue between the two communities.’
On top of this, Flemings recognise that French-speakers have also suffered. ‘More young Flemings than old feel that French-speakers are now suffering, and their perception is similar to French-speakers perception of themselves, which demonstrates an understanding among the young Flemings, who clearly see that life isn’t easy right now for French-speakers. Where discrepancies between each language group’s oldest generation were significant, and hardly less so between their second generation, they were clearly less so among the young.’
Influence on feeling ‘Belgian’?
Prof. Rimé’s study shows us that, contrary to what we might gather from news coverage of the country’s politics, Belgian identity is gaining ground in Flanders, just like in Wallonia. ‘We noticed that the young on both sides of the linguistic border have a much more favourable attitude toward Belgium and less attachment to their region than preceding generations do. Nevertheless, a majority of young Flemings still feel Flemish first, and French-speakers feel Belgian first. But the gap is clearly narrowing.’
The ballot box reflects this: the most radical parties gain more votes among the oldest, and open-minded parties attract the young. However, one difference of vision between the two communities is surely to influence the country’s longer-term future: Flemings want more federalisation whereas French-speakers fear it will lead to the country’s break-up.
Yet the study shows Belgium’s break-up is not what young Flemings want, and this trend could continue. That said, let’s hope that Flanders’s economic dominance doesn’t generate among French-speakers a feeling of victimisation similar to what the Flemings endured. The future of Belgium clearly rests in the hands of its young, and the acknowledgement of each other’s suffering, past and present, can only bring Belgians together.
Carine Maillard
A Glance at Bernard Rimé's bio
