Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy
Class struggle resulted in a anti-urban feeling in Flanders. The industrial revolution first developed in Wallonia and industrialisation came much later in Flanders. The bourgeoisie and the Church could anticipate rising secularisation and socialism in Flanders by keeping the workers away from the c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Société Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of Geography
2001-06-01
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| Series: | Belgeo |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/15346 |
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| _version_ | 1850147826076483584 |
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| author | Christian Kesteloot Filip De Maesschalck |
| author_facet | Christian Kesteloot Filip De Maesschalck |
| author_sort | Christian Kesteloot |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Class struggle resulted in a anti-urban feeling in Flanders. The industrial revolution first developed in Wallonia and industrialisation came much later in Flanders. The bourgeoisie and the Church could anticipate rising secularisation and socialism in Flanders by keeping the workers away from the cities through specific housing and mobility policies. This explains the traditional Christian political hegemony in Flanders, with socialist and liberal cracks mainly in the cities. In the second part of the paper the geography of the last parliamentary elections is considered. In the light of anti-urbanism, the elections produced important spatial shifts. The Christian party is replaced by the Liberals in the core of Flanders. In the cities, the Socialists are in decline, in favour of the greens and the extreme-right, the latter being also increasingly successful in the suburban fringe and the non-urban areas. In the last part, it is argued that the regressive cultural effects of anti-urbanism, but also the struggle against extreme-right, impose that urban policies should be put higher on the Flemish political agenda. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-86f246115cce4f6098f83ec0e28110e5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1377-2368 2294-9135 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2001-06-01 |
| publisher | Société Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of Geography |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Belgeo |
| spelling | doaj-art-86f246115cce4f6098f83ec0e28110e52025-08-20T02:27:27ZengSociété Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of GeographyBelgeo1377-23682294-91352001-06-011416210.4000/belgeo.15346Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategyChristian KestelootFilip De MaesschalckClass struggle resulted in a anti-urban feeling in Flanders. The industrial revolution first developed in Wallonia and industrialisation came much later in Flanders. The bourgeoisie and the Church could anticipate rising secularisation and socialism in Flanders by keeping the workers away from the cities through specific housing and mobility policies. This explains the traditional Christian political hegemony in Flanders, with socialist and liberal cracks mainly in the cities. In the second part of the paper the geography of the last parliamentary elections is considered. In the light of anti-urbanism, the elections produced important spatial shifts. The Christian party is replaced by the Liberals in the core of Flanders. In the cities, the Socialists are in decline, in favour of the greens and the extreme-right, the latter being also increasingly successful in the suburban fringe and the non-urban areas. In the last part, it is argued that the regressive cultural effects of anti-urbanism, but also the struggle against extreme-right, impose that urban policies should be put higher on the Flemish political agenda.https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/15346Flanderspolitical geographyanti-urbanism |
| spellingShingle | Christian Kesteloot Filip De Maesschalck Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy Belgeo Flanders political geography anti-urbanism |
| title | Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy |
| title_full | Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy |
| title_fullStr | Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy |
| title_short | Anti-urbanism in Flanders: the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy |
| title_sort | anti urbanism in flanders the political and social consequences of a spatial class struggle strategy |
| topic | Flanders political geography anti-urbanism |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/15346 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christiankesteloot antiurbanisminflandersthepoliticalandsocialconsequencesofaspatialclassstrugglestrategy AT filipdemaesschalck antiurbanisminflandersthepoliticalandsocialconsequencesofaspatialclassstrugglestrategy |