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Chapter 4. The impact of mobility and migration on the identity-constructing policy in Brussels

  • Rudi Janssens✝
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The Politics of Multilingualism
This chapter is in the book The Politics of Multilingualism

Abstract

The Belgian model is based upon monolingual territories and the integrative power of the two traditional “imagined communities” of Dutch and French speakers. The institutionalisation of this policy in the 1970 led to a particular political model without a national language, national political parties, national education or national media.

For Brussels, this resulted in a complex model of dual bilingualism with two language communities and a situation of partial power-sharing. Since then, however, Brussels has been subject to a diversified form of migration which has led to the current situation in which half of the population has non-Belgian roots. This results in a highly multilingual and multicultural environment.

However, this identity-constructing policy based upon the two traditional language groups no longer meets the expectations of this diverse population. This chapter focuses on the confrontation between top-down identity-constructing bilingual policy and the framing of the political debate, on the one hand, and the sense of belonging in a multilingual and multicultural setting, on the other.

Abstract

The Belgian model is based upon monolingual territories and the integrative power of the two traditional “imagined communities” of Dutch and French speakers. The institutionalisation of this policy in the 1970 led to a particular political model without a national language, national political parties, national education or national media.

For Brussels, this resulted in a complex model of dual bilingualism with two language communities and a situation of partial power-sharing. Since then, however, Brussels has been subject to a diversified form of migration which has led to the current situation in which half of the population has non-Belgian roots. This results in a highly multilingual and multicultural environment.

However, this identity-constructing policy based upon the two traditional language groups no longer meets the expectations of this diverse population. This chapter focuses on the confrontation between top-down identity-constructing bilingual policy and the framing of the political debate, on the one hand, and the sense of belonging in a multilingual and multicultural setting, on the other.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. List of contributors ix
  5. List of abbreviations xvii
  6. List of figures, tables, charts and pictures xix
  7. Chapter 1. The politics of multilingualism 1
  8. Part I. Reconceptualising multilingualism and collective identity
  9. Chapter 2. The politics of multilingualism in Canada 19
  10. Chapter 3. A Russian-speaking nation? 39
  11. Chapter 4. The impact of mobility and migration on the identity-constructing policy in Brussels 65
  12. Chapter 5. From glossophagic hegemony to multilingual pluralism? 89
  13. Chapter 6. Transient linguistic landscapes of activism 111
  14. Part II. Linguistic hegemony, insecurity and linguistic justice
  15. Chapter 7. How to measure linguistic justice? 145
  16. Chapter 8. Linguistic justice and English as a Lingua Franca 167
  17. Chapter 9. The promise and pitfalls of global English 201
  18. Chapter 10. Languages, norms and power in a globalised context 223
  19. Part III. Lingua Franca and global linguistic governance
  20. Chapter 11. On some fashionable terms in multilingualism research 247
  21. Chapter 12. English, the Lingua Nullius of global hegemony 275
  22. Chapter 13. Idealism or pragmatism? 305
  23. Chapter 14. European integration and the variety of languages 333
  24. Author index 359
  25. Subject index 365
https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.6.04jan

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. List of contributors ix
  5. List of abbreviations xvii
  6. List of figures, tables, charts and pictures xix
  7. Chapter 1. The politics of multilingualism 1
  8. Part I. Reconceptualising multilingualism and collective identity
  9. Chapter 2. The politics of multilingualism in Canada 19
  10. Chapter 3. A Russian-speaking nation? 39
  11. Chapter 4. The impact of mobility and migration on the identity-constructing policy in Brussels 65
  12. Chapter 5. From glossophagic hegemony to multilingual pluralism? 89
  13. Chapter 6. Transient linguistic landscapes of activism 111
  14. Part II. Linguistic hegemony, insecurity and linguistic justice
  15. Chapter 7. How to measure linguistic justice? 145
  16. Chapter 8. Linguistic justice and English as a Lingua Franca 167
  17. Chapter 9. The promise and pitfalls of global English 201
  18. Chapter 10. Languages, norms and power in a globalised context 223
  19. Part III. Lingua Franca and global linguistic governance
  20. Chapter 11. On some fashionable terms in multilingualism research 247
  21. Chapter 12. English, the Lingua Nullius of global hegemony 275
  22. Chapter 13. Idealism or pragmatism? 305
  23. Chapter 14. European integration and the variety of languages 333
  24. Author index 359
  25. Subject index 365
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