This thesis examines to what extent Lega turned itself and its creation of the Padanian nation into a political religion between 1989 and 2001. It researches how Lega Nord and the nation it created...Show moreThis thesis examines to what extent Lega turned itself and its creation of the Padanian nation into a political religion between 1989 and 2001. It researches how Lega Nord and the nation it created aimed to involve itself in all aspects of its followers’ lives, and present them with a sense of community and purpose. The story Lega told, the symbols, myths and liturgy it used played an essential part in the development of this political religion. It is this story, these symbols and the liturgy that form the core of this thesis.Show less
In recent decades, historians have become increasingly aware of the role of tourism in regional identity formation in Europe. The influence of tourism on borderland identity is, however, still...Show moreIn recent decades, historians have become increasingly aware of the role of tourism in regional identity formation in Europe. The influence of tourism on borderland identity is, however, still largely uncharted territory. This thesis investigates the impact of tourism on processes of regional identity formation in Zeelandic Flanders between 1970 and 1985. In this period, the Dutch maritime borderland expanded its reputation as an authentic beach destination with a unique Flemish hinterland. Tourist organizations, such as the VVV, emphasized the region's cross-border Flemish character, both in culture and landscape. The image of a ‘boundlessly Flemish’ borderland was, however, not as unproblematic as promotional material might suggest. In the same period, the border stimulated particular types of tourism that were considered negative and immoral: sex shop tourism in Sluis and nudism on the beach near Cadzand. The local impact of these types of ‘tourism of vice’ was a topic of heated debate within the local community. This thesis demonstrates that the impact of tourism on borderlands cannot be simplified to the construction of a single ‘cross-border identity’. Instead, multiple understandings of regionhood and nationhood were developed in borderland tourism, that overlapped and sometimes even contradicted each other.Show less
The thesis sketches the development of Alsatian regional consciousness in the works of Ehrenfried Stoeber (1779-1835), a poet from Strasbourg. His works demonstrate an increasing awareness of...Show moreThe thesis sketches the development of Alsatian regional consciousness in the works of Ehrenfried Stoeber (1779-1835), a poet from Strasbourg. His works demonstrate an increasing awareness of Alsatian and French identity, while initially, his affiliation with Germany and the Alemannic region had been clearer.Show less
In 1837, Louis-Philippe of Orléans, ‘King of the French’, opened the Musée de l’Histoire de France in Versailles, a museum that celebrated the history of France. Louis-Philippe had come to power...Show moreIn 1837, Louis-Philippe of Orléans, ‘King of the French’, opened the Musée de l’Histoire de France in Versailles, a museum that celebrated the history of France. Louis-Philippe had come to power after the July Revolution of 1830, which had overthrown the reign of the Bourbon kings. A part of the Musée was dedicated to the Crusades, the Christian military expeditions in the Middle East during the Middle Ages: the Salles des Croisades. This thesis discusses how the history of the Crusades was constructed in the Salles, and how this construction is explained by the political and cultural context of the July Monarchy (1830-1848). In the Musée, the history of France was displayed in hundreds of history paintings. The July Monarchy was a constitutional monarchy, and presented itself as a ‘golden mean’ between popular power and royal absolutism. By displaying the history of France as a united whole in the Musée, the regime hoped to heal the wounds of fifty years of political division. In the Salles, Louis-Philippe equated French identity with Christianity, by depicting the roots of the French nation in the Crusades. The king had three political reasons for promoting the Christian identity of France: reconciliation, ideological justification and legitimation. Firstly, the construction of the history of the Crusades in the Salles was similar to a conservative vision of medieval history, in which the Christian religion was the guiding principle. By affirming the validity of this vision in the Salles, Louis-Philippe sought reconciliation with those who wanted a return to the ancien régime. Moreover, Christianity was depicted as a nationally unifying force, which corresponded with the king’s wish to reconcile political divisions. Secondly, an appeal to France’s obligations as a Christian nation, through making a historical parallel with the deeds of Saint Louis, ideologically justified the conquest of Algeria. Lastly, a focus on Christianity gave the July Monarchy a firm foundation in history, thereby making it less radical and less revolutionary. The potency of Crusading imagery is explained by several cultural trends. This thesis discusses a number of important cultural contexts, such as the rise of Romanticism, the politicized nature of history, the changing practice of history painting, attitudes towards the Middle Ages, the place of the Crusades in historiography, the French reactions to the Greek War of Independence, and the mythical image of Saint Louis.Show less
“Picturing Deutschböhmen” explores German Bohemian efforts to convey the idea of a new nationally defined region in Late Habsburg Austria, ‘Deutschböhmen.’ It considers their use of relatively new...Show more“Picturing Deutschböhmen” explores German Bohemian efforts to convey the idea of a new nationally defined region in Late Habsburg Austria, ‘Deutschböhmen.’ It considers their use of relatively new technologies and modes of consumption to this end, primarily photography and mass tourism. Whereas parallel Czech and Hungarian claims to greater autonomy garnered a sense of legitimacy from historical precedents in the Kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary, no similar examples could be cited by German nationalists in western Bohemia for their supposed region. Instead, German Bohemians relied on the culturally situated potency of the Heimat-genre as well as the documentary ‘realness’ of photographic images. Making use of specific tropes and vocabularies, both textual and visual, guidebooks and other tourist material encouraged outsiders, especially Germans elsewhere, to literally or figuratively visit and witness Deutschböhmen for themselves. Consequently, readers were introduced to an area that was distinct from the rest of Bohemia and an inherent part of the timeless territory of the German Heimat.Show less
This thesis constitutes the first monograph on British propaganda for Spain during the Second World War, as part of the British war effort to diminish Nazi influence in Spain and to keep Franco out...Show moreThis thesis constitutes the first monograph on British propaganda for Spain during the Second World War, as part of the British war effort to diminish Nazi influence in Spain and to keep Franco out of the war or to defer his entry as long as possible. From his appointment as ‘special’ ambassador to Spain, Sir Samuel Hoare’s personal appeasing initiatives quickly escalated into a systematic and well-organised propaganda organisation with headquarters at the Madrid embassy. With the help of the embassy staff, Hoare managed to establish an important network of contacts that ensured that British propaganda material breached Franco’s restrictions and reached Spaniards from all classes and regions. As this study argues, the embassy’s propaganda successes were mainly due to the fact that the propagandists knew how to adjust British interests to Spanish customs and norms. For instance, this thesis will give detailed account on the functioning of some peculiar methods of propaganda such as the so-called Religious Propaganda and the Embassy Medical Service. Lastly, this study will also analyse the propagandists’ constant exposure to violent aggressions at hands of the police and the members of the Falange, as well as their struggle to keep British opinion as neutral as possible regarding Spain.Show less
The post-punk period of 1979 to 1982 saw significant cultural transfer between elements of the Dutch, German and Anglo-American alternative music scenes. In the Netherlands, most of this cultural...Show moreThe post-punk period of 1979 to 1982 saw significant cultural transfer between elements of the Dutch, German and Anglo-American alternative music scenes. In the Netherlands, most of this cultural transfer revolved round the members of the ULTRA scene. ULTRA stood for “ultramodern” and promoted avant garde post-punk music that used new or unconventional instruments and performance modes. ULTRA was mainly based round weekly “ULTRA” nights at the Oktopus club in Amsterdam and the music released on the Amsterdam-based Plurex and Torso record labels; though similar scenes flourished in Den Bosch, Nijmegen and Eindhoven. ULTRA drew a great deal of its creative impulse from the art schools such as the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, and had close links to the both squatting and punk scenes then active in the Netherlands. However, ULTRA was transnational in outlook and often looked outside the Netherlands for inspiration and support. And a number of its most successful proponents, such as the Amsterdam band Minny Pops, garnered international critical acclaim. Using Simon Frith's principles for studying popular music (alongside content from the publication most associated with the ULTRA scene and its musicians, Vinyl magazine, as well as interviews with key actors in the ULTRA scene) the paper looks to evaluate ULTRA's cultural worth; and how its Dutch origins affected the scene in the wider rubric of international popular music.Show less
