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The Davidsfonds is a Catholic organisation in Flanders, Belgium with the purpose of promoting the Flemish culture in the areas of literature, history and art.
The Davidsfonds was founded in Leuven, Belgium on 15 January 1875, with the motto Voor Godsdienst, taal en volk (E: For religion, language and people). It was named after canon and professor Jean-Baptist David. Together with the Vermeylenfonds (socialist) and the Willemsfonds (liberal), it promoted the Flemish culture, resulting in a growing feeling of Flemish identity.
In the 20th century, the activities of the Davidsfonds, Vermeylenfonds and Willemsfonds reflected a divided society, based upon political ideology. Called "pillarization" (Dutch: verzuiling), Catholic, socialist, and liberal interests formed parallel organizations (political parties, trade unions, banks, newspapers, cultural, and social circles) to promote their interests. While sometimes leading to wasteful re-duplication the pillars also supported each other (e.g., in labor strikes) when it furthered their own interests.
As of 2005, the organization had 60,000 members and 575 divisions. It organizes cultural activities and publishes a magazine and books.
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The politics of Belgium take place in the framework of a federal, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy. The King of the Belgians is the head of state, and the prime minister of Belgium is the head of government, in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives. The federation is made up of (language-based) communities and (territorial) regions. Philippe is the seventh and current King of the Belgians, having ascended the throne on 21 July 2013.
The Free University of Brussels was a university in Brussels, Belgium. Founded in 1834 on the principle of "free inquiry", its founders envisaged the institution as a free-thinker reaction to the traditional dominance of Catholicism in Belgian education. The institution was avowedly secular and particularly associated with Liberal political movements during the era of pillarisation. The Free University was one of Belgium's major universities, together with the Catholic University of Leuven and the state universities of Liège and Ghent.
The Flemish Movement is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemish culture and Dutch language as well as those who have sought greater political autonomy for Flanders within Belgium. It also encompasses nationalists who have sought the secession of Flanders from Belgium, either through outright independence or unification with the Netherlands.
Flanders is both a cultural community and an economic region within the Belgian state, and has significant autonomy.
Flemish political parties operate in the whole Flemish Community, which covers the unilingual Flemish Region and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region. In the latter, they compete with French-speaking parties that all also operate in Wallonia. There are very few parties that operate on a national level in Belgium. Flanders generally tends to vote for right-wing, conservative parties, whereas in French-speaking Belgium the socialist party is usually the most successful one.
Flemish literature is literature from Flanders, historically a region comprising parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Until the early 19th century, this literature was regarded as an integral part of Dutch literature. After Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830, the term Flemish literature acquired a narrower meaning and refers to the Dutch-language literature produced in Belgium. It remains a part of Dutch-language literature.
Chiro Flanders or simply Chiro, is a Belgian youth organisation, founded on Christian values, active in Flanders, Brussels and Eupen-Malmedy. With more than 100,000 members Chiro is the biggest youth organization in Belgium. While mainly focusing on having fun, it also aims at developing youngsters' responsibility and skills. Chiro is a member of the umbrella of Catholic youth organizations Fimcap.
The Willemsfonds, named after Jan Frans Willems, is a non-profit cultural organisation founded in the 19th century to promote Flemish culture and language in Belgium. In order to achieve this goal, the organisation encouraged Flemish folk song, organised linguistic games and published inexpensive Flemish books. In addition, the organisation established general libraries.
The Vermeylenfonds is a non-profit Flemish cultural socialist organization. The Vermeylenfonds was founded in 1945, in Brussels with the aim of studying and of continuing the work of August Vermeylen. The Vermeylenfonds was set up within the framework of the enlargement process of the Flemish movement which consisted until then mainly of catholic (Davidsfonds) and liberal (Willemsfonds) organizations. For a long time the Vermeylenfonds also participated in the political debate in Flanders as a lobbying group.
Julius Vuylsteke was a Belgian liberal politician and writer. He started his career as a lawyer, but later opened a bookshop. As a liberal Flemish politician, he founded the liberal association 't zal wel gaan, and he played an important role in the Flemish movement. Julius Vuylsteke promoted cultural cooperation of Flanders with the Netherlands. He became President of the Willemsfonds, and after his political career he gave his attention mainly to the history of Flanders. In 1867, he founded the Flemish weekly Het Volksbelang, which appeared for the first time on 12 January 1867. In 1867, Julius De Vigne was one of the editors together with Julius Sabbe, Jozef Van Hoorde, and Adolf Hoste.
The Masereelfonds, named after Frans Masereel, is a Flemish non-profit cultural organization, for the promotion and support of the Dutch language in Flanders. It is one of a family of five cultural organizations in Flanders, such as the Davidsfonds, Vermeylenfonds, Willemsfonds, and the Rodenbachfonds. Traditionally it was related to the Belgian communist party, but nowadays it is a progressive cultural organization.
The Rodenbachfonds, named after Albrecht Rodenbach, is a Flemish non-profit and cultural foundation or "cultuurfonds" related to the Flemish movement. It is one of a family of five cultural foundations in Flanders, together with the Davidsfonds, Vermeylenfonds, Willemsfonds, and Masereelfonds.
The Liberaal Vlaams Verbond was founded in 1913. From its origin it wanted to promote the Flemish cause and drew attention to social matters, within the Belgian Liberal Party. Together with the Willemsfonds and the Liberaal Vlaams Studentenverbond, it is one of the Flemish liberal organizations.
The Liberal Archive, located in Ghent, is the central archive of the Belgian liberal organizations, such as the liberal party, the Willemsfonds, the Liberaal Vlaams Verbond and the liberal young guards/Pvv-Jongeren.
Piet Vermeylen, was a Belgian lawyer, and socialist politician and minister. He was the son of the Flemish politician August Vermeylen.
Anton Bergmann was a Belgian writer and a liberal Flemish activist. Already during his youth he was fond of Dutch literature, and together with Julius Vuylsteke, he was a member of 't zal wel gaan, a Flemish cultural and liberal organization. After he graduated from humaniora, he went to the University of Ghent, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in literature, law and notary. Afterwards he attended the Vrije Hogeschool van Brussel, where he obtained a doctorate in law in 1858. In the meantime he was very active as a writer and as an historian. He wrote a study on Philips van Marnix van Sint Aldegonde, plundering der hoofdkerk van Lier. A Royal Decree of 17 June 1857 awarded to Anton Bergmann the five-year price of Dutch literatur for the period 1870–1874.
In Belgium, organized secularism is the local associations and organizations which provide moral support for naturalist, atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, freethinking, Bright, or irreligious and non-confessional citizens. A person who subscribes to such entities or ideologies, or at least espouses an interest in "free inquiry" apart from religious traditions is described as a "secular" or "free-thinker".
Pillarisation is the politico-denominational segregation of a society into groups by religion and associated political beliefs. These societies were vertically divided into two or more groups known as pillars. The best-known examples of this have historically occurred in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The Catholic University of Leuven was one of Belgium's major universities. It split along linguistic lines after a period of civil unrest in 1967–68 commonly known as the Leuven Affair in French and Flemish Leuven, based on a contemporary slogan, in Dutch. The crisis shook Belgian politics and led to the fall of the government of Paul Vanden Boeynants. It marked an escalation of the linguistic tension in Belgium after World War II and had lasting consequences for other bilingual institutions in Belgium within higher education and politics alike. In 1970 the first of several state reforms occurred, marking the start of Belgium's transition to a federal state.
