Flanders may be a small place, but even so, people are very aware of regional differences when it comes to human characteristics. Provincial and city chauvinism are strong and this has led to people from the same province or city often being lumped together and provided with stereotypical characteristics. Sociologist Walter Weyns has shared his thoughts on these.
"People from Antwerp are all bigheads, all West Flemings are hard-working!"
Colin Clapson
Published:
Limburgers, people from Limburg Province, generally have a reputation for speaking slowly. Walter says this is linked to the rural character of the province. There are few cities and people think life proceeds at a slower pace out east: “Limburgers make good use of their reputation. Tourist folders are full of suggestions Limburg is the place to unwind!”
Brusselers are often seen as know-alls. Walter says this is because Brussels is the capital, not only of Flanders and Belgium but also of Europe! “Every single president and king have travelled to Brussels at some time. It’s not surprising Brusselers have an inflated view of themselves!”
The people of Flemish Brabant are thought to enjoy life to the full, to eat well and to be well off. Walter points to an historic explanation: “Brussels and by extension Flemish Brabant has always been a rich agricultural area. It’s where the farmer lived well of the fat of the land. If the economy is doing well, people won’t shy away from saying the truth. This explains the directness of the Brabanter” explains Walter.
The West Flemish are known to be taciturn and are seen as hard workers. Here the Great War may have played a role.
“The whole area was shot to pieces” says Walter in a bit of a generalisation. “It’s quite understandable people wouldn’t want to stick their necks out. After the war everything had to be rebuilt. West Flemings had to work hard and that explains their reputation” says our sociologist.
People in Antwerp have been heard to say, “Antwerp is the City and all the rest is carpark”. It’s supposed to illustrate their love of Antwerp. For the rest of us, it just shows how big-headed they really are! Walter points to the 16th century when Antwerp was the place to be. “They got stuck with this feeling of superiority. The economic boom was over by the end of the century, but a feeling of greatness stuck”.
In the Flemish psyche Ghent is of course the big rival of Antwerp where greatness is concerned. In East Flanders it is the towns and cities that stick out. Walter says that of all the provinces East Flanders is the most diverse, the closest to other places, and as a result provincial chauvinism is lowest here.