Belgian nationalism

Belgian nationalism, sometimes pejoratively referred to as Belgicism (Dutch: Belgicisme; French: Belgicanisme), is a nationalist ideology.

In its modern form it favours the reversal of federalism and the creation of a unitary state in Belgium.

Belgian nationalists advocate the unity between all language groups in Belgium, and condemn each perceived chauvinistic or linguistic discrimination, advocate the knowledge of all official languages (Dutch, French, German) and a multicultural, tolerant, strong feeling of citizenship.

It again emerged in 1830 during the Belgian Revolution, when Belgium rebelled against and gained independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

One of the first people to create an intellectual foundation for Belgian nationalism was the Walloon historian Henri Pirenne, who argued for the existence of a distinct Belgian nation in his book series Histoire de Belgique.