Idealisme versus pragmatisme. De Belgisch-Nederlandse culturele betrekkingen tussen 1945-1980

Iris Steen. Idealism versus pragmatism. Belgian-Dutch cultural relations 1945-1980. Nowadays Flanders states that the Netherlands is their favourite partner while the Netherlandsmaintains that its relationship with the federal state of Flanders is top priority. In addition, theDutch Language Union (Nederlandse Taalunie) has just celebrated its twentieth anniversary and Flanders can even boast about having its own diplomatic representative in The Hague. This current situation has a long history. Although the Netherlands and Belgium embarked upon intensive economic relations after 1945, the cultural ties between the two countries, which began with the establishment of a cultural treaty in 1946, have often been complex and emotionally charged. This article examines how Dutch-Belgian cultural relations evolved between 1945 and 1980 into Dutch-Flemish relations and looks at the importance that the Flemish and Dutch have attached to this cultural tie. Immediately after the war, cultural relations between both countries were accomplished by means of a cultural treaty between Belgium and the Netherlands. Therefore, the year 1945 represents an ideal starting point for a study of Belgian-Dutch cultural relations. These ties were shaped in a new way. The relationship between the French and Flemish-speaking communities within Belgium significantly influenced the cultural ties between both countries. Thus, the central theme of this article is the position of Flanders. The article ends in 1980, the year that marks the conclusion of the Dutch Language Union Treaty, which aimed at collaboration in the broad field of language and literature. For many Flemish people this represented the reward for all the years spent trying to get closer to the Netherlands