Negotiating national unity and diversity in public broadcasting: A comparative study on South Africa and Flanders

In the context of globalization, national unity or identity are problematic and even contested concepts. The inherent diversity of most nations, furthermore, complicates the notion of a national unity or identity. Within this struggle to define the nation, mass media are generally regarded as playing an important role in ideas around nationhood. This article explores contemporary struggles to define ‘the nation’ as unified by comparing the diverse realities of South Africa and Flanders (Dutchlanguage northern Belgium) with specific focus on Public Service Broadcasting (PSB). Thus, by systematically exploring how diversity is dealt with in two separate national contexts, focusing in particular on PSB, we aim to come to a better understanding of how generic concepts like the nation, unity and diversity function in unique and specific contexts.