Public service television and national identity as a project of modernity: the example of Flemish television

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study the way in which PSB - as a typical modernist project of a certain cultural elite - has tried to create and maintain a national identity using a uniform, high culture as a vehicle to `educate' its audience into being `citizens' of the community. In particular, the analysis will concentrate on the policy in this regard of Flemish public service television. Our hypothesis is that the (cultural elite within) Flemish PSB - and particularly television - tried for a long time to contribute to the recognition and development of Flemish identity and culture by offering a uniform Felmish culture. An analysis of Flemish public television between 1953 and 1960 is used to illustrate this.