Shifting Notions of Citizenship in the Netherlands: Exploring Cultural Citizenship and the Politics of Belonging Through Neighbourhood Spaces in Rotterdam
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 12-8-2011 12:00 AM Shifting Notions of Citizenship in the Netherlands: exploring cultural citizenship and the politics of belonging through neighbourhood spaces in Rotterdam Jennifer Long The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Randa Farah The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Adriana Premat The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Jennifer Long 2011 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Long, Jennifer, "Shifting Notions of Citizenship in the Netherlands: exploring cultural citizenship and the politics of belonging through neighbourhood spaces in Rotterdam" (2011). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 341. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/341 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Shifting Notions of Citizenship in the Netherlands: exploring cultural citizenship and the politics of belonging through neighbourhood spaces in Rotterdam (Spine title: Shifting Notions of Citizenship in the Netherlands) (Thesis format: Monograph) by Jennifer Long Graduate Program in Anthropology and Collaborative Graduate Program in Migration and Ethnic Relations A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Jennifer Long 2011 THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO SCHOOL OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Supervisor Examiners ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Randa Farah Dr. Douglass St. Christian ______________________________ Co-Supervisor Dr. Kim Clark ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Adriana Premat Dr. Jeff Hopkins Supervisory Committee ______________________________ Dr. Irene Stengs ______________________________ The thesis by Jennifer Long entitled: Shifting Notions of Citizenship in the Netherlands: exploring cultural citizenship and the politics of belonging through neighbourhood spaces in Rotterdam is accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Date__________________________ _______________________________ Chair of the Thesis Examination Board ii ABSTRACT Notions of citizenship in the Netherlands are increasingly shifting away from liberal models of civic citizenship that, in theory, promote diversity, pluralism and multicultural understandings of citizenship and are moving, instead, towards a mono- cultural and assimilationist understanding of national identity and belonging. This trend, known in the literature as the ‘culturalization of citizenship’ constitutes the primary topic of this project. In this dissertation, I argue that official and populist discourses concerning non- western Muslim immigrants in Dutch society today work to inscribe difference onto “foreign” (“allochthonous”) residents of the Netherlands while upholding an idealized notion of “Dutch identity”. My research revealed that it was not just government- sponsored integration programs that reproduced dominant understandings of belonging or difference through integration activities, but also the everyday discursive practices of Dutch “natives” (called “autochthons”) who, at times inadvertently, reproduce exclusionary notions of national identity and belonging. My ethnographic research, based in three different neighbourhoods in Rotterdam (Bergpolder, Liskwartier, and Nieuwe Westen), revealed how local and national discourses of belonging are expressed in everyday practices. Although other scholars have explored immigrants’ integration and the politics of belonging in the Netherlands, this project makes a contribution by exploring ideas of belonging using space as an entry point for analysis, paying particular attention to how individuals use, access, and understand neighbourhood public places. Using Ryan Centner’s concept of ‘spatial capital’, I argue that “autochthonous” individuals are more spatially privileged in their iii ability to define and design public places in the neighbourhood than individuals who would be perceived as “allochthonous”. Contrary to the declared objectives of official citizenship “tests” and integration programs, the process itself reproduces boundaries and differences between “autochthons” and “allochthons”. Keywords : belonging, integration, citizenship, everyday spatial practices, Dutch national identity, ‘spatial capital’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands iv Acknowledgements Special thanks to my committee at the University of Western Ontario Randa Farah, Adriana Premat, and Dan Jorgensen, and my mentor Irene Stengs from the Meertens Instituut in Amsterdam. Thank you to my defence committee for reading this dissertation in such a short time and for your valuable feedback, I appreciate your time and effort very much. Many special thanks to my supporters both here and away: Kinga, Johannes, Carmen, my wonderful family (both in Canada and abroad), and most especially to Luke for his patience and his support. Hartelijk bedankt aan mijn buren, mijn familie, mijn huisgenoot, en mijn vriendinnen die mij geholpen hebben in Nederland; Zonder jullie zou dit project niet mogelijk zijn. Dedication This project is dedicated to those I lost during its process: Valerie; Lloyd; and Agnes. The lessons you all gave in bravery and perseverance were invaluable and allowed me to complete this lifelong dream. Thank you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of examination .................................................................................................. ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 Background Context ........................................................................................................... 6 Literature Review................................................................................................................ 9 Spatial Practices and the Politics of Belonging ................................................................ 14 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 19 Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................................ 22 CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND - DESIGNING PLACES AND DESIGNER PEOPLE ........................... 25 Designing Place: a history of Rotterdam’s built space ..................................................... 26 Overview of National and Municipal Policies for non-western Immigrants .................... 36 CHAPTER 2: RESHAPING “A LLOCHTHON ” BEHAVIOUR FOR “D UTCH ” PUBLIC SPACES ....... 63 Inburgering Courses in Bergpolder ................................................................................... 67 How to Make a Proper Citizen? Step One: start young .................................................... 77 ‘It’s your neighbourhood, so it’s your call!’ ..................................................................... 80 CHAPTER 3: “I T’S ALL ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW !” CREATING NEIGHBOURHOOD PUBLIC PLACES ............................................................................................................................... 94 Being a Good Neighbour: renewing Bergpolder South .................................................... 97 Participating in Bergpolder South ................................................................................... 102 ‘Working it’ in the Community ...................................................................................... 117 CHAPTER 4: EXPERIENCING SAFETY AND SECURITY PROGRAMS IN ROTTERDAM ’S HIGH RISK NEIGHBOURHOODS ................................................................................................... 133 Neighbourhood: Nieuwe Westen – Delfshaven .............................................................. 134 History of Rotterdam’s Security and Safety Policies ..................................................... 137 Case Study: Preventative Searches ( Preventative Fouilleren ) ....................................... 146 CHAPTER 5: “D UTCH ” SPATIAL PRACTICES : “D UTCHNESS ” IN PUBLIC PLACES OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ............................................................................................................. 168 Cycling to Dutchness ...................................................................................................... 171 Cycling in Bergpolder ....................................................................................................