Groundwork for the Anthropology of Belgium: An Overlooked Microcosm of Europe. Issue 3 (26th May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blainey, Marc G.
• Is Part Of: Ethnos. Volume 81:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 478
• Page End: 507
• Publication Date: 2016-05-26
• Subjects: Belgium -- Flanders -- Wallonia -- Brussels -- Europe; Ethnology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Periodicals; 305.8
• DOI: 10.1080/00141844.2014.968180
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0014-1844

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Like the European Union itself, the anthropology of Europe has been slowly developing for decades. Yet compared to their colleagues working at more conventional non-Western field sites, ethnographers studying present-day Europe are focusing on a region that still exists at the margins of the discipline. Thus far, anthropologists have largely neglected Belgium as an opportunity to understand the sociopolitical culture of the European continent as a whole. Through a detailed examination of historical processes that have shaped modern Belgian society, the present article highlights how this tiny nation stands as a microcosm of Europe's past, present, and potential futures. Proffering a wide-ranging analysis of the various regional and supranational spheres that Belgians inhabit, this paper outlines how ethnographic studies of belgitude (or 'Belgianness') can shed light on pan-European topics that are of interest to anthropologists.