Ethnic Conflict within a Fractured Belgian Nation-State The Case of the Trouble in Brussels (May 1991)

This paper analyses clashes which took place between Belgian police and young people mainly from 'immigrant' backgrounds in Brussels during 1991. Four models were developed in the Belgian press for understanding the violence, but a deeper understanding of the public confrontations requires...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal on minority and group rights 1996, Vol.4 (3-4), p.289-300
Main Author: MARTINIELLO, MARCO
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Belgium
Capital cities
Citizenship
Countries
Ethnic conflict
Ethnic groups
Gangs
immigrant
Immigrants
integration
Interethnic conflict
Migrant communities
Minority rights
Nation state
Police
Political systems
power
Racial integration
Social integration
state
the press
Violence
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Summary:This paper analyses clashes which took place between Belgian police and young people mainly from 'immigrant' backgrounds in Brussels during 1991. Four models were developed in the Belgian press for understanding the violence, but a deeper understanding of the public confrontations requires an alternative explanation which places local events in a wider context of power and state. The conflict should more properly be understood as the reaction of a relatively powerless community to its disadvantaged situation. The young people were acting not as victims but as active agents questioning dominant notions and policies concerning 'integration', challenging the ethnic labels applied to them and asserting a desire for citizenship rights. Despite these positive reactions the relationship between minorities and the state has not radically changed and violence could easily break out again as more recent events have demonstrated.
ISSN:1385-4879
1571-8115
1385-4879
DOI:10.1163/15718119620907346