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Multiculturalism and Citizenship in the Netherlands

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The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity

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Abstract

In this chapter, it is argued that to understand the current debates about cultural diversity in the Netherlands, several historical developments have to be taken into account. One development is the contradictory conception of the nation-state, which includes inclusive as well as exclusive criteria for national belonging. Another development is the changing pattern of migration, resulting in an increase of cultural diversity in Dutch society. Finally, the debates take place in the context of the human rights revolution since World War II, in which historical hierarchies are being challenged by emphasizing social equality on various grounds, including ethnic background, gender, and sexual orientation. Part of this human rights revolution is the ideology of multiculturalism, which generally stresses liberal values including social cohesion and national belonging, and social equality of all groups in society. The most defining aspect of multiculturalism is the recognition of cultural or religious distinctiveness of ethnic and cultural groups in society, which is considered to be essential to achieve social cohesion and social equality. In the 1990s and 2000s, this recognition was increasingly criticized in the Netherlands, with mostly right-wing politicians considering certain norms and values of immigrants, especially Muslims, to be incompatible with the norms and values of Dutch natives. In the 2000s, Dutch parliament debated several proposals to prohibit certain cultural or religious expressions of Muslims in the Netherlands, despite the Dutch interpretation of freedom of religion. Currently, this culturalization of citizenship is still evident, mostly from views and statements of right-wing populist and ultra-orthodox Christian politicians.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Igor Boog

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  1. Igor Boog
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Correspondence to Igor Boog .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Steven Ratuva

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  1. Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Steven Ratuva

  2. Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Steven Ratuva

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Boog, I. (2019). Multiculturalism and Citizenship in the Netherlands. In: Ratuva, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2898-5_139

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