‘Citizenisation’ in Flanders: between citizenship and rights

1. ‘Citizenisation’ in Flanders: between citizenship and rights Dieter Gryp University College Ghent – SocialWork and Welfare Studies UniversityGhent – Philosophy and Moral Sciences EINE-conference, Antwerp – December 3, 2011

2. Research project • ‘Citizenship in the immigration society’A philosophical analysis of conceptions of citizenship in integration practices (Flemish reception policy – ‘citizenisation’ (Dutch: inburgering)) • University of Ghent • Funded by University College Ghent • 01/11/2009 – 31/10/2015 (50 %) • Patrick Loobuyck – Griet Verschelden • Key question • What political-philosophical conceptions of citizenship lie at the root of developed “integration practices” in Flanders (‘citizenisation’) and how are these views reflected in the discourse about immigration society in general?

3. Research project (2) • Combination of political philosophy (explicitation of concepts and discourses) and social work (analysis of ‘actions’ within these discourses) • Phase 1 (year 1 – 2) • Literature research (political-philosophical/sociological literature on the concepts ‘citizenship’, ‘social integration’, ‘immigration’, …) • Preliminary analysis of ‘citizenisation practices’ in Flanders (through decrees)

4. Outline • Motivation • Historical analysis of citizenship • Citizenship discourse • Rights discourse • The agonistic core • Joint approach • Moralisation • In Dutch policy • In Belgian policy (?)

5. Motivation • Signifying concept • Discussion (national) liberalism – communitarism • Central concept in citizenisation is an active and shared citizenship • ‘Peculiar and slippery concept with a long history’

6. Historical analysis ‘CLASSICAL CITIZENSHIP’ ‘MODERN CITIZENSHIP’ Aristotle Hobbes - Locke Republican (communitarian) Liberal Community Individual CS as practice (‘active’) CS as rights • Two discourses (Margaret Somers): • Citizenship discourse • Rights discourse

7. Citizenship discourse • Virtues (active citizenship) • Aristotle: subject – citizen • Intrinsic capacity and desire to participate in politics • Roman imperialism: legal status (cf. nationality) • Revival: Italian city states • Scarcity of (classic) republics is due to a scarcity of civic virtues • Rousseau: ‘social contract’

8. Rights discourse • Rights • Evolution towards sovereign nations • Imagined communities  representation • Evolution of citizenship: membership • The introduction of rights • Hobbes (rights –state) – Locke (natural rights) • Marshall: social rights • Idea of equality: negative and positive rights

9. Agonistic core • Liberal hegemony, but ‘every consensus exists as a temporary result (…) and it always entails some form of exclusion’ • View: citizenship has an agonistic core • 1990’s: renewed interest in citizenship discourse • Two currents: • Rights (multiculturalism, rights and duties) • Citizenship (quality and attitude citizens) • Kymlicka/Norman: joint approach

10. Joint approach? • Growing aknowledgment: differentiated rights are necessary (f.e. liberal negligence) • Question has changed: • specific minority rights in specific contexts • Justification: do they undermine civic virtues? • Main difficulty: how to promote civic virtues? • ‘Society would be better if the people where nicer and more thoughtfull’ • How to moralise?

11. The moralisation of citizenship • Agonistic core = moralisation in both discourses • Citizenship discourse is more moral (hence almost automatically ‘moralisation’ • Rights discourse: contractualisation • Formal (defined – state) and moral (discursive – society) citizenship (Schinkel) • Dutch citizenisation (integration = citizenship) – culturist fase • Diffuse hybrid between the state’s force and the government ideology on civic behaviour

12. The Dutch policy • Inspiration for the Belgian (Flemish) policy • Formal citizenship leads to moral citizenship • Moralisation initiates a dual process • First moral than formal • Formal but lack of moral • First-class citizens and second-class citizens

13. The Belgian Context Federal Government 3 Regions ‘space bounded matters’ 3 Communities ‘person bounded matters’ Belgium

14. Division of tasks • Migration and integration policies: • Federal level: • immigration, anti-discrimination and the nationality law • Communities, regions and cities: • integration policy • Ministers: • The Belgian government: • minister of migration (since 2008) • Flemish government: • minister of civic integration (since 2004)

15. Decrees • The Flemish Minority Policy(1989) • Inspired by Anglo-Saxon and (former) Dutch multicultural model = categorical vision • 1998: ‘minority decree’, updated in 2009= inclusive vision • ‘Living together in a diversified society is every citizen’s responsibility’ • Three levels: • an emancipation policy for target groups • a social policy on the domains of welfare, health care and education • a reception policy for newcomers= formalised with the citizenisation decree in 2003.

16. Citizenisation trajectories • February 2003 • Two main parts: • Primary trajectory: • acquiring Dutch as a second language(Nederlandsalstweedetaal - NT2) • orientation in the Flemish/Belgian society(MaatschappelijkeOriëntering - MO) • orientation in the labour market(Loopbaanoriëntatie - LO). • Secondary trajectory: regular social services • Compulsory for priority groups (larger than target group i.e. ‘newcomers’ and ‘oldtimers’)

17. Moralisation in citizenisation (?) • Division of tasks • No formal incentive, ‘forced’ emphasis on moral citizenship • In political discussion the line between moral and formal citizenship blurs (transgressed discursively) • Mandatory (or losing social insurance) • Risk: moralisation can cause a shift from structural to individual, group or cultural problems • Strategic mechanism

18. Thank you. Dieter Gryp dieter.gryp@hogent.be