[en] Although it has been clearly established that collective memory is a potential source of ethnic conflicts, it remains to clearly formulate the causal pattern under which the past becomes an agent of action. Following Arthur Stinthcombe’s differentiation between “historical causes” and “constant causes,” this article analyzes collectivememory in the Belgian case as a “constant cause.” In Belgium, the community conflict surrounding the increasing autonomy of Flanders
and Wallonia is characterized by discourses featuring various historical representations of linguistic grievances. Analysis suggests that these representations, estimated to be the mainspring of Flemish autonomist claims, are mobilized under a causal pattern of symbolic reactivation and cognitive continuance of past linguistic injustices.
Research center :
Programme Gouvernance européenne
Disciplines :
Political science, public administration & international relations
Author, co-author :
Poirier, Philippe ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education (FLSHASE) > Identités, Politiques, Sociétés, Espaces (IPSE)
Farhat, Nadim; Université Catholique de Louvain - UCL > Institut de sciences politiques Louvain-Europe
Rosoux, Valérie; Université Catholique de Louvain - UCL > Institut de sciences politiques Louvain-Europe > Professeur de science politique
Language :
English
Title :
The Causal Pattern of Collective Memory in a Community Conflict: “Constant Causes” in the Belgium Case
Alternative titles :
[fr] Le modèle de causalité de la mémoire collective dans un conflit communautaire: Les «causes constantes" à l'exemple de la Belgique