Multiculturality Case Study

1. Contexts: Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Saint-Gilles and Watermael-Boitsfort
This first chapter is dedicated to characterising the research fields in terms of demographics and local diversity management measures. As long as it provides the context in which the institutional discourse is produced, the description of these environments is an important prerequisite to accurately analyse the institutional discourse on multiculturality.

1.1. Demographics Multiculturality, defined as the cohabitation of different cultures within one society, tends to be problematic when it comes to be described. Let’s first circumscribe how ‘culture’ is defined in this research. The present research considers culture as a feature of the humankind (a practice), and
After the Second World War, Belgium encourages massive labour immigrations first from Italy (from 1947 to 1956), then from Spain, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria and Yugoslavia (Adam 13). But these immigrations are seen as temporary by both the immigrants and the Belgian state (gastarbeiders) (Adam 13). And if some measures are implemented for the immigrant workers, they do not manage their equal participation in Belgian society as full citizens. In 1974, the Belgian state officially closes its borders, shattering the myth of temporary immigrations (Adam 14). Measures of integration are implemented, such as training courses or cultural activities devoted to bring communities together (Adam 14). In 1980, the integration policy changes from ‘the welcome of immigrant workers’ into ‘the welcome and integration of immigrants’ and publically acknowledges the immigrants as permanent residents (Adam 15). Since then, the integration policy has known different trajectories in Flanders and in
As such, they implement some multiculturalist measures (Rosado 2). The institution of Watermael-Boitsfort barely mentions diversity in its general policy. It does not take any measure to voice cultural particularities of groups from foreign origin (40,35% of its population) that are composing its population. Though, the institution strongly promotes social cohesion and conducts an inclusive policy. As such, the institution of Watermael-Boitsfort tends to conduct an assimilationist policy (Vermeulen 7). All of them put a particular emphasis on social cohesion and are part of the general francophone strategy to depoliticise the question of integration. Rather than conducting an assimilationist policy, the COCOF and the Brussels-Capital Region simply do not develop any mainstream policy to manage cultural diversity (Adam