Historical knowledge, importance, social identity, and memory accessibility for World War I Armistice: Comparing French- and German-speaking Belgians.

This article examines the collective memory and social identity related to the 2018 centenary of the Armistice (end of World War I) among French-speaking and German-speaking Belgians across three generations. Contrary to expectations, both language groups showed similar accessibility to and knowledge of Armistice, with no significant generational differences. However, German-speaking Belgians relied more on school as a source of historical knowledge and integrated political and regional events into their collective memory, reflecting stronger community identification, while French-speaking Belgians drew more on family and friends and linked World War I more closely to national identity and its importance. The study highlights how historical experiences and social identity shape collective memory differently within Belgium’s linguistic communities.