Constructing 'the refugee crisis' in Flanders: continuities and adaptations of discourses on asylum and migration

De Cleen, Benjamin [VUB] Zienkowski, Jan [USL-B] Smets, Kevin [VUB] Dekie, Afra Vandevoordt, Robin [UA]

Like elsewhere in Europe, the increased number of asylum applications dominated Flemish media and political debate during the summer and autumn of 2015, and asylum has remained on the political agenda ever since. This chapter argues that the ‘refugee crisis’ was a moment marked by continuities and adaptations of existing discourses rather than by radical transformations. The dominant negative discourse on the ‘refugee crisis’ has drawn on long-established culturalist, securitarian and economic discursive logics to problematise the presence of migrants, ethnic minorities and asylum seekers. These have been adapted to the particularities of the contemporary moment, for example through the Europeanisation of the Flemish debate, and the further strengthening of an anti-Islamic clash of civilisations discourse. Humanitarian concerns have also been present in both discourse and policy, but have not been able to counter the dominant construction of the ‘refugee crisis’ as a cultural, security and economic threat and crisis for Flanders, Belgium and Europe, caused by the influx of refugees.