Lecture ‘Zoó is Brabant’

Prof Arnoud-Jan Bijsterveld gives a lecture at the Couwenbergh entitled ‘Zóó is Brabant’. Regional identity and regionalism in North Brabant.

In his lecture, Bijsterveld will discuss the revival of nationalism and regionalism in Europe, and how these movements also affect North Brabant. Regionalism, to be defined as nationalism at the regional level, is not new. There have been several waves of regionalism since the 19th century. North Brabant offers an interesting example of this, showing the balance between tradition and modernity. Bijsterveld discusses how regionalism manifests itself in different ways today. There are regions that are mainly inward-looking and stick to the idea of ‘own people first’. But there are also regions that try to combine the benefits of globalisation with a strong regional identity, an approach called ‘glocalisation’.

Hemists and regionalism
Seminarians and local history circles have played an important role in the development of regionalism. Using examples from Brabant, Bijsterveld will show how they have contributed to strengthening regional identity in the past, and what role they can play now at a time when regionalism is once again in the spotlight. Admission is free for members and non-members pay a small contribution. Come to this engaging lecture and discover more about the dynamics of regionalism and the  Brabant identity.