Flemish nationalism

Flemish nationalism is the political current within the Flemish Movement, the umbrella of groups in the Belgian region of Flanders that have sought to promote Flemish culture and the Dutch language and to win greater political autonomy for Flanders within Belgium. It also includes nationalists who seek the secession of Flanders, either through outright independence or through unification with the Netherlands. The movement emerged in the nineteenth century around a cultural patriotism that celebrated the traditions and history of Flanders and sought equal status for Dutch in the Belgian state, often under the auspices of the Catholic Church. It became more radical after World War I, was discredited by collaboration in occupied Belgium during World War II, and re-emerged after the war through the Volksunie and later parties such as the New Flemish Alliance and Vlaams Belang.