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 Flemish culture. An analysis of Flemish public television between 1953 and 1960 is used to illustrate this. © 2001 Sage Publications.