Frederik Backelandt is the winner of the 2004 Flemish Dissertation Award

(GHENT, 12-12-2004) -- Yesterday the third award ceremony of the Flemish Dissertation Award took place in the Royal Academy for Dutch Language and Literature in Ghent. This year the jury consisted of Mathias Danneels (Het Nieuwsblad), professor Herman De Dijn (representative of the Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts) , Dirk Demuynck (Lannoo publishing house), Pascal Verbeken (Humo) en Norbert Vranckx (Het Davidsfonds publishing house).

Report of the jury
Once again, the Flemish Dissertation Award attracted a great deal of attention. No less than 123 entries were assessed, of which five were nominated.



When it comes to quality, perspective, methodology and the capacity to bring a dissertation closer towards a broad audience, the following participants caught the attention of the jury:

Lotte De Voeght (Kunst te koop. De Brusselse avant-gardegalerie 1919-1932, Catholic University of Leuven (Philology and Philosophy, Modern History), 2004) took us to the Brussels avant-garde galery-owners during the turbulent 1920's.

Petrra Heys (Vrouwenarbeid in Marokko: ontwikkeling “door” maar ook “voor” vrouwen?, University of Ghent (Political and Social Sciences, Development aid, option politics and conflict), 2004) travelled to Morocco to investigate where women stand in society. This is without a doubt a hot topic that will only gain significance within today's intercultural Europe.

Piece by piece, Kristel Cuvelier (De Verenigde Naties en multinationale ondernemingen: Partners voor een betere wereld?, University of Ghent (Political and Sociel Sciences), 2004) gathered information about the inherent tension between the United Nations and  multinationals. A dissertation that clearly shows that in today's globalized world the power of politics is decreasing, whereas the power of a small number of powerful, invisible economic players, is increasing.

There were, however, two exceptional dissertations:

Didier Verbruggen immediately baffled the jury with his talent. He got his teeth in the subject of the ACW sale*. (Didier Verbruggen, De uitverkoop van het ACW, Lessius College University of Antwerp (Journalism), 2004.). The jury hopes that this will encourage him to develop his story further since so many people know so little about it.

*ACW is the Belgian Christian trade union. The organization sold all of its companies from 1992-2001. This was later called 'the ACW sale'.

The jury was even more impressed and pleasantly surprized by the dissertation of Frederik Backelandt. He analyzed the life and works of Karel Van Wijnendaele (pseudonym for Karel Steyaert, 1882-1961), the almost legendary reporter of the popular Flemish newspaper "Sportwereld'. He brings the interbellum to life, the Flemish Movement, collaboration, retaliation, ... . The dissertation of Frederik Backelandt, 'Ons rijke Vlaamse wielerleven en het wielerflamingantisme: ‘Sportwereld’ als gangmaker van identiteit in het interbellum', is like a fresco, and gives a meticulously painted image of Flanders.

The jury has therefore decided to give the 2004 Flemish Dissertation Award, worth 2500 euros, to Frederik Backelandt.

© 2004 - Foto Michaël Depestele