Comité flamand de France
The Flemish Committee of France is a French association, constituted as a scholarly and cultural society with publishing responsibilities. It is dedicated to the study, preservation and dissemination of Flemish culture in French Flanders, with particular emphasis on language, literature and history.
Founded on 10 April 1853 in Dunkirk as the Comité flamand de France, bearing the motto Moedertael en Vaderland as of 1 July, the society emerged under the leadership of Edmond de Coussemaker at a time, when the use of the Flemish language remained a delicate matter in the region. It has operated continuously under this French designation since its inception and, through the publication of a bulletin and annals, as well as the organisation of lectures, ranks among the oldest learned societies in France.
The committee is based in Hazebrouck, where it maintains a special library that houses its own publications alongside a collection of regional works. It is also entrusted with the custodianship of the collections of the Jeanne Devos Museum in Wormhout.