'En wij zijn hier': Traditie, moderniteit, nationalisme en mercantilisme in en rondom 'Wij, heren van Zichem'

Abstract

The drama series Wij, heren van Zichem (1969-1971) is one of the great classics of Flemish television. Adapted from the works of the popular Heimat writer Ernest Claes (1885-1968) it is considered to have provided a nostalgic solace for the generation that was shocked by the rapid modernization and social, cultural and political upheavals of the late Sixties and early Seventies. Yet, as this article tries to demonstrate – focusing on production, dramaturgy and reception, also in the Netherlands – the series could be considered as a middlebrow attempt to reconcile the generational and cultural divides of the era, projecting not so much a vision of stasis and traditional values but rather a society able to accommodate progress, cultural autonomy and social mobility while still retaining some respect for community life and cultural and ecological roots.