Gallia Belgica: An Entity with No National Claim
Translated from the French by JPD Systems
Pages 93 to 111
Cite this article
- GONZÁLEZ VILLAESCUSA, Ricardo
- and JACQUEMIN, Thomas,
- González Villaescusa, Ricardo.
- et al.
- González Villaescusa, R.
- and Jacquemin, T.
https://doi.org/10.4000/etudesrurales.9499
Cite this article
- González Villaescusa, R.
- and Jacquemin, T.
- González Villaescusa, Ricardo.
- et al.
- GONZÁLEZ VILLAESCUSA, Ricardo
- and JACQUEMIN, Thomas,
https://doi.org/10.4000/etudesrurales.9499
Notes
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[1]
This did not prevent the University from subsequently organizing the colloquium entitled “Simulacra Romae” and from presenting the various capitals of the provinces at it. The kneejerk reactions therefore remained of no consequence.
-
[2]
On this specific subject, we recommend the publication compiled by Derks and Roymans (2009).
- [3]
This paper sets out from an astonishing observation: not one French, Belgian, or German author has produced a synthesis on Gallia Belgica. The reason for this is that no national perspective can be brought to bear on the subject owing to the fact that the history of this ancient territory is shared among several countries. Unbounded descriptions were in evidence even during the Classical period, and these were subsequently exploited by Renaissance authors, who saw the coexistence of different ancient geographies as a way of legitimizing the reality of their own times. The territorial construction of Belgium today is, therefore, no more artificial or natural than any other country. We gain an understanding of how national constructions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have shaped research on Gallia Belgica, dependent upon the origins of the researchers.
Publisher keywords: ancient geography, Belgium, construction of space, ethnogenesis, Gallia Belgica, nationalism