Kas Swerts, ‘Introduction’,  
in: Studies on National Movements 8 (2021) 

 

Introduction Volume 8 

KAS SWERTS 

NISE/University of Antwerp 

 

In American football, the last two minutes of a game hold special 

relevance. As the game clock hits the final two-minute mark, the match 

is briefly stopped, commercials are being played, and players get a quick 

rest as they prepare themselves for the ‘real’ game (if the score is close, 

at least), as this is when ‘crunch time’ starts. Every decision by both 
teams is intensely debated, scrutinized and planned out, and can have 

lasting consequences for the outcome of the game. Crunch time – 

particularly in American football – can result in dramatic finishes or 

results determined by a single play or error, and certain players on the 

field can arise as key figures that were instrumental in their team’s win 

or loss. 

One could argue that European politics experienced a similar ‘crunch 

time’ in the aftermath of the First World War. As Europe’s map was being 

redrawn following the Great War, politicians and activists from different 

regions and ends of the political spectrum engaged in intense debates on 

the (political) future of their respective region or nation.  

The articles in this volume (partly from the 2021 NISE online 

conference) focus on this specific period, and via a wide array of cases 

illustrate how different political parties or actors became relevant, and 

how different solutions in different cases were being proposed. 

Moreover, in conjunction with the previous volume, volumes 7 & 8 



Studies on National Movements 8 (2021) | Introduction 

| 2                                                                   Kas Swerts 

provide an extensive overview of national movements across Europe in 

the aftermath of the Great War and can function as clear cases for further 

comparative or transnational research.  

Furthermore, NISE can announce two promising projects in the nearby 

future. First of all, in cooperation with ASEN, Ghent University and the 

University of Antwerp, NISE organises the upcoming Nationalism and 

Media conference in Antwerp from 5-7 April 2022. Further details (and 

registration) can be found on https://nationalismand.media. 

Secondly, NISE has started a new digital project which will be conducted 

in its DIANE-database. In cooperation with the Maurits Coppieters 

Foundation, NISE will expand the ‘DILINAME’ (Digital Library of National 

Movements in Europe) project and construct a database that will 

comprise political documents of different national movements across 

Europe, and extensive historical overviews of the different national 

movements. The aim is to provide researchers a simple and quick 

overview of relevant political documents from different cases across 

Europe in order to conduce comparative and transnational research of 

national movements. We will post regular updates on the project, so be 

sure to follow or subscribe to our different channels!  

https://nationalismand.media/