Pacifying National Majorities in the Brussels Capital Region: What About the Immigrant Minority Groups?
The process of state reform and devolution has put recognition of cultural-linguistic diversity on the foreground as the guiding principle for (representation in) Belgian political life. The (new) constitution, indeed, clearly departs from the postulate of a ‘multination state’1 and recognises the rights of (partial) self-determination of those groups which are seen to be the constitutive elements for the Belgian nation2. The constitution states that the Flemish, Francophone and Germanophone groups are the fundamental cultural communities of Belgium. This postulate then serves as the basis for organisation of the entire Belgian political field. The Flemish-Francophone divide, however, clearly constitutes the central political axis. Belgium is, however, not only officially built out of three Communities (a Dutch speaking (=Flemish), French speaking and German speaking community), it is also officially the sum of three territorial entities, the so-called Regions (Flanders, Wallonia and the Region of Brussels-Capital). The Regions and Communities have specific political competencies. The Regions have jurisdiction over so-called 'space-bounded' matters
Diversity and nationality : contemporary developments in five European citizenship regimes
This chapter shares the core focus of the book in considering some key contemporary social and political developments relating to cultural diversity in five EU states. These span topics of naturalization processes, anti-discrimination measures and strategies for political participation, as well as civic integrationist and educational measures (Triandafyllidou et al., 2011). By identifying some of the most salient changes, and accepting that in different countries these may turn on different cases, the chapter offers a theoretically driven attempt to conceptualize various European states from the point of view of multiculturalism. This helps us to understand the alleged ‘retreat’ of multiculturalism as well as advances in multiculturalism, and so enables us to evaluate in a non-quantitative way the extent and manner in which a state or polity is and is not multiculturalist. This is assisted by tabular representations marking out the core theoretical criteria of multiculturalist and non-multiculturalist modes of integration, before these criteria are tested against contemporary developments in existing cases.
Ethnonationalism and political systems in Europe : a state of tension . Roessingh
Worldwide ethnic fragmentation is a highly topical issue. Even in Europe, despite the attempt at Union, fifteen new states have been created in the last five years on the basis of claims by previously little known ethnonational groups. This book explains this development. It examines the cases of four European states (Bulgaria, the former Czechoslovakia, Belgium and Finland) and focuses particularly on the impact of political systems on the development of ethnonational relations. The author demonstrates the need for this type of research to back our urgent attempts to counter the intractable and often violent nature of ethnonational conflict.