Mobilisation strategies of individual and institutional actors in Brussels’ artistic and cultural scenes

Abstract

Though sharing a common territory, the cultural spaces of Brussels are divided according to a complex structure where Francophone and Flemish Communities play a dominant role. These two language-based communities set separate cultural policies and programming for their residents in Brussels. Within this fragmented structure, local socio-cultural actors have mobilised promoting cross-Community collaboration towards a shared vision for the Brussels-Capital Region (ex. Cultural Plan for Brussels). Further, individual artists themselves have developed strategies to participate in Community-defined cultural programming and to gain recognition for their talent as local (Bruxellois) artists regardless of their ethnic, linguistic or migrant background. This article explores how socio-cultural actors and artists have mobilised to reframe ‘culture’ in Brussels, and to gain access to cultural venues particularly in the case of migrant and migrant-origin artists whose engagement and recognition in Brussels’ cultural scenes have been little studied.

Keywords:

• interculturality
• mobilisation
• political opportunity structure
• cultural policy
• migrant background
• artists

Notes

1. 1. For a more detailed critique, see Mathieu (2002).

2. 2. An in-depth examination of Brussels’ place-based, collective project Zinneke Parade can be found in Costanzo (2012, unpublished doctoral thesis).

3. 3. The socially-constructed term belgo-belge refers here to people of Belgian background. In other words, those born and raised in Belgian whose social and other formative experiences come from living in and being part of Belgian society.

4. 4. Brussels is included among global cities by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network of the University of Loughborough (UK).

5. 5. The interview can be found online at http://issuu.com/saipm/docs/tbx_20110906_tbx_full [Accessed 7 August 2013]. Still from the ‘Tribune de Bruxelles’ (6 September 2011, p. 6).

6. 6. From our interviews we find these artists want, above all, to be recognised as artists full stop regardless of their migrant backgrounds. Furthermore, studies show that these young people have been often stigmatised by being seen through security and cultural lenses (Réa 2001).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joseph Costanzo

JOSEPH COSTANZO is Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University.

Fatima Zibouh

FATIMA ZIBOUH is Doctoral Candidate in the Center for Ethnic and Migration Studies at the Université de Liège.