Migration, Equality and Racism trigger ever more salient societal debates. More than 80 VUB academics and co-authors joined forces for this book. Philosophers, lawyers, psychologists, health scientists, MIGRATION, sociologists, geographers, criminologists, communication and political scientists … look at migration, equality and racism from different disciplinary angles. EQUALITY Together they aim to contribute to an exercise of humanism as a & RACISM praxis of criticism or a ‘technique of trouble-making’, in the words of Edward Said. Through 44 thought-provoking and informed opinion pieces, they question widespread beliefs on migration, equality and 44 OPINIons racism and propose solutions that might disturb. Let this book be a source of inspiration for those who want to spark an informed debate on the ever more salient issues of migration, equality and racism, for those who want to learn more on how and why humanism has often remained an empty box for migrants and racialized groups. Or for those who are in search of inspiration for a just future for all. Ilke Adam Migration, Equality and Racism is the work of Vrije Universiteit Brussel Tundé Adefioye (VUB) think tank POINcaré and was created under the direction of Serena D’Agostino Ilke Adam, Tundé Adefioye, Serena D’Agostino, Nick Schuermans Nick Schuermans and Florian Trauner. Florian Trauner (eds.) www.vubpress.be MIGRATION, EQUALITY & RACISM This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ DOI: 10.46944/9789461171061 Colophon Cover design: Studio Eyal & Myrthe Photography: Esma Alouet Typesetting: www.frisco.be © 2021 VUBPRESS VUBPRESS is an imprint of ASP nv (Academic and Scientific Publishers) Keizerslaan 34 1000 Brussels Tel. +32 (0)2 289 26 56 Fax +32 (0)2 289 26 59 Email [email protected] www.vubpress.be ISBN 978 90 5718 994 4 (Print) ISBN 978 94 6117 106 1 (ePDF) ISBN 978 94 6117 116 0 (epub) NUR 740/755 Legal deposit D/2021/11.161/024 MIGRATION, EQUALITY & RACISM Ilke Adam Tundé Adefioye Serena D'Agostino Nick Schuermans Florian Trauner (eds.) AUTHORS Adam Ilke Froyen Ilke Severs Eline Adefioye Tundé Hoens Sylvia Simola Anna Ahmad Yar Ahmad Wali Huang Yijia Siongers Jessy André Géraldine Huysmans Minne Smetcoren An-Sofie Arnaut Karel Imeraj Lena Smis Stefaan Asamoah Christil Jung Mariska Spruyt Bram Ay Deniz Kalonji Billy Stutz Philipp Bekers Elisabeth Keppens Gil Swinnen Lena Berdai-Chaouni Saloua Lafaut Dirk Swyngedouw Eva Beyens Kristel Laurijssen Ilse Tacea Angela Bircan Tuba Lechkar Iman Te Braak Petrus Boone Simon Lefevere Jonas Theeboom Marc Bourabain Dounia Lemblé Hélène Trauner Florian Breuls Lars Majdoub Soumaya Van Buggenhout Marijke Celis Karen Mastari Laora Vanderfaeillie Johan Cham Omar N. Meeus Bruno Van Droogenbroeck Filip Charafi Safaa Meurs Pieter Van Heur Bas Claeys Ann Nöstlinger Nette Van Holen Frank Crouzé Ronald Orsini Giacomo Van Noord Jochem D’Agostino Serena Pan Honghui Vanobberghen Rita De Backer Liesbet Pandey Shilpi Verhaeghe Pieter-Paul De Hert Paul Petrache Le Guern Laura Weatherburn Amy Deboosere Patrick Roex Ann Westerveen Laura Demirkapu Hakki Sadder Israa Withaeckx Sophie Dumortier Els Schepers Marjolein Zohar Gabriel El Moussawi Hala Schneider Hanna Emery Laura Schuermans Nick Fadil Nadia Serneels Geertrui CONTENTS INTRODUCTION & HUMANISM Acknowledgements 11 Preface 13 Introduction 15 by Ilke Adam, Tundé Adefioye, Serena D’Agostino, Nick Schuermans and Florian Trauner Towards a Radical Politics of the Human 25 by Gily Coene CONTENTS I Questioning ‘the Human’ in Humanism 31 by Mariska Jung & Sophie Withaeckx PART 1 - MIGRATION 37 Open Borders to (better) Govern Migration 40 AND RACISM EQUALITY MIGRATION, by Giacomo Orsini When Border Enforcement Backfires, Alternatives Exist 45 by Angela Tacea and Laura Petrache Le Guern Malthusian Fears in Current Migration Debates. When the Pseudo-Science of Numbers is Used Against Humanity 49 by Patrick Deboosere, Billy Kalonji and Soumaya Majdoub Caught in a Trap. Refugees: Neither Man nor Animal 54 by Eline Severs EU Migration Cooperation with Third Countries: A Flawed Approach 62 by Philipp Stutz and Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar Not all Refugees Want to Come to Europe. Most Stay Close to Home 67 by Israa Sadder and Hanna Schneider COVID-19: Political Will is Needed to Safeguard the EU’s Asylum Policy 71 by Florian Trauner 7 Short-Sighted Policies Drive Young EU Migrants into Precarious Jobs 78 by Anna Simola Transit Migration: Brussels Does it Better 83 by Nette Nöstlinger and Florian Trauner Traumatised Newcomers: Towards a Society that Heals 88 by Lena Swinnen, Omar N Cham, Geertrui Serneels Migration and the Radical Right: A Catch-22 for Journalists 92 by Jonas Lefevere PART 2 - EQUALITY 97 Education 98 The Opacity of the Education System Creates Disadvantages for Pupils with Migration Backgrounds 98 by Laura Emery, Ilse Laurijssen, Simon Boone and Jochem van Noord Belgian Universities: Decolonize Your Curriculum! 102 CONTENTS I by Christil Asamoah Decolonizing the University: From Happy Diversity To Uncomfortable Dialogues 106 by Sophie Withaeckx A Fatima Mernissi Chair Helps us Create a Pluriversity 111 by Iman Lechkar MIGRATION, EQUALITY AND RACISM EQUALITY MIGRATION, Employment and Housing 117 Creating Legal Migration Channels Alone is Not Sufficient to Minimise the Risk of Labour Exploitation 117 by Amy Weatherburn and Paul de Hert Yes, Mr Charles Michel, Apologizing for Colonial Atrocities is One of the Tools to Combat Underemployment Among Afro-descendants 121 by Ilke Adam and Billy Kalonji Better Beginnings, Better Prospects? Rethinking Dispersal and Housing Policies for Refugees in Belgium 128 by Hala El Moussawi Care 132 Diverse Care Teams: The Key to Improving the Quality ofHealth Care in Brussels 132 by Ann Roex, Rita Vanobberghen and Hakki Demirkapu 8 For Equal Access to Care, Awareness-Raising on Implicit Bias is Quintessential 136 by Dirk Lafaut and Marjolein Schepers The Fallacy of Migrants-Culture Preventing Access to Care in Later Life 141 by Saloua Berdai-Chaouni, Ann Claeys, Sylvia Hoens, Honghui Pan, An-Sofie Smetcoren Foster Families Caring for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Need to Be Supported 145 by Frank Van Holen and Johan Vanderfaeillie Unaccompanied Minor Newcomers: a Village to Raise a Child, One Trustee to Lead the Way 150 by Liesbet De Backer Arts & Sports 154 Until the Lion Has a Voice, the Tales of the Hunt Will Only Be Those of the Hunter 154 by Elisabeth Bekers and Ilke Froyen ‘Don’t They Jump on the Seats?’ Questioning the Underrepresentation of Artists with Migrant Roots in the Cultural Labour Market of Brussels 158 by Eva Swyngedouw Martial Arts for the Personal Development of Deprived Youngsters? CONTENTS I Maybe if We Coach the Coaches! 166 by Marc Theeboom Citizenship, politics & policy 171 We’re All Migrants Here: Citizenship and Urban Social Infrastructure 171 by Bas van Heur, Karel Arnaut and Bruno Meeus AND RACISM EQUALITY MIGRATION, No One is Illegal. Niemand is illegaal! Personne n’est illegal? 178 by Ronald Crouzé, Pieter Meurs, Minne Huysmans Ethnic Diversity in Brussels Politics: The Next Level 181 by Karen Celis Empowering Cities to Make Immigrant Integration Happen 184 by Deniz Ay Religion 189 Tolerance Towards LGBT Can Be Developed from within Religions 189 by Filip Van Droogenbroeck, Bram Spruyt, Jessy Siongers Europe Needs To Change its Understanding of Secularism to Accommodate Diversity 194 by Shilpi Pandey and Stefaan Smis 9 PART 3 - RACISM, IDENTITY & BELONGING 197 Brussels is Tarred with Racism 199 by Géraldine André, Safaa Charafi, Laura Westerveen and Dounia Bourabain The Emancipation of Animals Will Not Be Built on Racism 203 by Mariska Jung Anti-Gypsyism: When a ‘Specific’ Form of Racism is Considered ‘Reasonable’ 206 by Serena D’Agostino Discrimination from the Majority Society Affects the Identities of Ethnic Minorities 210 by Yijia Huang Ethnic Studies Major(s) and Archiving Initiatives as Crucial Tools of Liberation 214 by Tundé Adefioye Tackling Racism in Brussels: Yes We Can! 220 by Dounia Bourabain, Laura Westerveen, Safaa Charafi and Géraldine André Discrimination Tests: A Potential Stepping Stone for Human Rights 224 CONTENTS by Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe I Unity in Diversity: The Brussels Identity Glues Everyone Together 228 by Petrus te Braak, Laora Mastari, Hélène Lemblé and Gil Keppens From – but not of – Europe: The Vicious Cycle of Inequalities in Belgium 231 by Gabriel Zohar MIGRATION, EQUALITY AND RACISM EQUALITY MIGRATION, Recognising Diversity: Not “If” but “How” 235 by Lena Imeraj and Tuba Bircan ‘You Don’t Belong Here!’: Expulsion Doubles the Punishment for One Criminal Offence 240 by Lars Breuls and Kristel Beyens Belgian Children in Syria Should Not Pay for the Sins of Their Parents 244 by Marijke Van Buggenhout, Nadia Fadil and Els Dumortier Author's Biographies 247 Photographer's Biography 255 Description of the Photographs 256 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book is the result of the active engagement of many people. First of all, the editors would like to thank all the authors for their enthusiasm and energetic collaboration on this project. From the first collective brainstorming exercise until the very end of the process, their constructive and critical feedback has improved the book and compelled us to constantly reexamine our own ideas. We also thank the VUB’s POINcaré think thank and the rectorate for their support and gratefully acknowledge their financial