Belgium’s Political System: Societal Fractures & Elections
Belgian Political Culture and System
Belgium is a segmented society characterized by three main fractures:
- Religious: Separating Catholics and freethinkers. Since the 1950s, this fracture has diminished in importance due to secularization.
- Socio-economic: The class divide, originating from conflicts during the Industrial Revolution (labor-capital conflict).
- Ethno-linguistic: Separating Flanders and Wallonia. This has been the most influential fracture conditioning Belgian politics in recent decades.
Understanding Social Interaction and Qualitative Research
Social interaction is not haphazard but structured, occurring in context and making sense of meanings. It refers to daily routines, events, and objects perceived as relevant and meaningful. Interaction is built through the interaction of the protagonists.
Structuralism
Structuralist approaches incorporate cultural frameworks of social achievements and subjective reality. Cultural systems of meanings are part of perception, subjective reality construction, and social development. They distinguish between
Read MoreUnderstanding Social Stratification: Hierarchy, Inequality, and Conflict
Understanding Social Stratification
Inter-action: Social stratification is organized into levels and is related to inequality. (Greece-Rome slavery existed). (Medieval age serfs existed). (The enlightened eighteenth century spoke of inequality). (S. XIX class called social).
Inequality and Hierarchy
Inequality: The inequality that matters is the hierarchy and is based on relations of superiority and inferiority, and are based on complementarity: it needs supplementing and diversity. Individuals are
Read MoreHistorical School: Genesis and Evolution of Education
Genesis and Evolution of the Historical School
The institution is an educational and social construct, resulting from the relationships between various social agents and groups throughout history.
Educational systems, as state networks, have not always existed. Before, schools or means of learning had very limited coverage.
The characteristics of state networks emerged in response to the needs of differential socialization arising with the liberal-democratic and industrial revolutions. Therefore, origins
Read MoreDemocracy: Terms, Key Concepts, and Political Culture
Terms of Democracy
During the fifties and sixties, some authors assumed that democracy was linked to economic development. The richer a nation was, the more likely it was to establish a democratic regime. However, subsequent research has not confirmed this thesis. It appears that literacy, in the absence of extreme inequalities and the emergence of pluralism, leads to democratic systems. These factors are sometimes, but not always, effects of economic development. It seems reasonable that certain
Read MoreResearch Project: Social Relevance, Definitions, and Background
Assessing Social Relevance in Research
To assess the potential social relevance of your research, consider these questions:
- Why is this investigation important, and what do we hope to discover?
- What is the demand for this research?
- Why is this problem significant, and what is your specific interest in it?
- Which social agents are involved in the problem, and who benefits directly or indirectly from this research?
- What negative consequences might arise from a lack of empirical knowledge about this problem?