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A social psychological perspective on World War II collaboration in the 21st century: A Belgian case
Author(s) -
Bouchat Pierre,
Luminet Olivier,
Rosoux Valérie,
Aerts Koen,
Cordonnier Aline,
Résibois Maxime,
Rimé Bernard
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2664
Subject(s) - world war ii , perspective (graphical) , context (archaeology) , politics , world values survey , psychology , social psychology , value (mathematics) , french , generosity , sociology , political science , humanities , law , history , philosophy , archaeology , artificial intelligence , machine learning , computer science
The present study addresses antecedents and consequences of attitudes towards collaboration in the context of World War II (WWII) in Belgium. A survey conducted on 922 Belgian French‐ and Dutch‐speaking participants shows that, on overall, Dutch‐speakers perceive collaboration as more moral and support amnesty of the former collaborators at a higher level than their Francophone counterparts. In addition, we show that these attitudes are predicted by the generational belonging, linguistic and national identification of the participants. Finally, we find that attitudes towards WWII collaboration are linked to specific political prospects for the future of the country only among Dutch‐speakers. These findings suggest that, 75 years after its end, the issue of collaboration during WWII still divides the Belgian society. Furthermore, they underline the added value of a multilevel approach in the understanding of social psychological phenomena.