Cover not available
Part of
Advances in Interdisciplinary Language Policy
Edited by François Grin, László Marácz and Nike K. Pokorn
[Studies in World Language Problems 9] 2022
► pp. 111–128

Chapter 6
Language and inclusion in a multilingual environment

A bottom-up approach

| Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Since the turn of the century, two important social developments have had a considerable impact on daily life in most western European cities. The first is increasing mobility in a globalised world that transcends the traditional concept of migration and has even led to a paradigm shift in sociological thinking (‘new’ mobilities paradigm). A second related development is at the technological level, where communication patterns have changed significantly and prompted people to expand their networks beyond the local level. Both evolutions are most prominent in cities in which a growing number of citizens engage in different networks and traditional forms of social solidarity are under pressure. In this context, language plays a key role.
In this article, based on the case of Brussels, we investigate the dynamics behind the process of social inclusion in a mobile environment and the role that languages play in this. We set out from the Brussels pacification model and the analysis of the impact of mobility on the local population. Based on the shift in language use and citizens’ attitude towards multilingualism and living in a multicultural environment, we seek a breeding ground for inclusive policies through a bottom-up approach. The conclusions focus on its impact on Brussels and its potential significance for other cities.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction and methodological approach
  • 2.Theoretical framework
    • 2.1The new mobilities paradigm
    • 2.2The city as a node of flows
    • 2.3The challenges of language and social inclusion in a mobile urban environment
  • 3.Brussels as a node of flows
    • 3.1A history of dealing with diversity and social inclusion
    • 3.2The impact of ‘new’ mobility: Some figures
    • 3.3The impact of mobility on language use
    • 3.4The impact of mobility on attitudes towards multilingualism
    • 3.5Language as a basis for an inclusive identity?
  • 4.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 21 January 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.9.06jan
References (26)
References
Anderson, Benedict. (1983). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.Google Scholar
Arroyo, Joaquin. (2005). ‘Theories of International Migration’, in D. Joly Danièle (Ed.) International Migration in the New Millennium. Global Movement and Settlement (pp. 15–35). Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited.Google Scholar
Bauman, Zygmunt. (2000). Liquid Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Boutellier, Hans. (2013). The Improvisation Society. Social Order in a Boundless World. The Hague: Eleven Publishers.Google Scholar
Casier, Charlotte. (2019). The transformation of demographic structures and the geography of Europeans in Brussels between 2000 and 2018. Brussels Studies, General collection 138. Retrieved from: [URL]; DOI logo
Castells, Manuel. (1996). The Rise of the Network Society, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture Vol. I. Malden & Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Corijn, Erik, Vandermotten, Christian, Decroly, Jean-Michel & Swyngedouw, Erik. (2009). Brussels as an international city, Brussels Studies, Summary notes. Retrieved from: [URL]; DOI logo
Cresswell, Tim. (2006). On the Move: Mobility in the Modern Western World. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
European Commission. (1998). Report of the High Level Panel on the free movement of persons (chaired by Mrs Simone Veil). Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.Google Scholar
. (2014). European Modules on Migrant Integration. Final Report, February 2014.Google Scholar
Eurostat. (2019). People on the move. Statistics on mobility in Europe. 2019 edition. Retrieved from: [URL]
Favell, Adrian & Recchi, Ettore. (2009). Pioneers of European integration: an introduction. In E. Recchi & A. Favell (Eds.), Pioneers of European integration: Citizenship and mobility in the EU (pp. 1–25). Cheltenham & Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing Inc. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Franke, Michaela & Mennella, Mara. (2017). Fact Sheet on the European Union: Language policy. European Journal of Language Policy 9(2), 262–267.Google Scholar
Frisby, David & Featherstone, Mike (Eds.) (1997). Simmel on Culture. Selected Writings. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Hermia, Jean-Pierre & Sierens, Astrid. (2017). Belges et étrangers en Région bruxelloise, de la naissance à aujourd’hui. Focus de l’IBSA 20 (August). Brussels: Institut Bruxellois de Statistique et d’Analyse, Perspective Brussels.Google Scholar
Jacobs, Dirk & Maier, Robert. (1998). ‘European identity: constructs, fact and fiction’, in M. Gastelaars & A. De Ruijter (Eds.), United Europe: The Quest for a Multifaceted Identity (pp. 13–34). Maastricht: Shaker.Google Scholar
Janssens, Rudi. (2018). Meertaligheid als opdracht. Een analyse van de Brusselse taalsituatie op basis van Taalbarometer 4. Brussels: VUBPRESS.Google Scholar
Janssens, Rudi, Chaltin, Karen & Bodó, Barna (Ed.) (2014). Language and Territoriality: The Pacification of the Belgian language Conflict, European and Regional Studies 5, 41–58.Google Scholar
Massey, Douglas, Arango, Joaquin, Hugo, Graeme, Kouaouci, Ali, Pellegrino, Adela & Taylor, Edward. (1998). Worlds in Motion. Understanding International Migration at the End of the Millennium. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Portes, Alejandro. (1997). Globalization from Below: The Rise of Transnational Communities. Princeton, Princeton University Working Papers WPTC-98–01.Google Scholar
Sassen, Saskia. (2014). Expulsions. Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Stark, Oded. (1991). The Migration of Labour. Cambridge: Basil Blackwell.Google Scholar
Sheller, Mimi & Urry, John. (2006). The New Mobilities Paradigm, Environment and Planning A 38(2), 207–226. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Taylor, Peter. (2008). ‘Brussels in World City Networks’, in De Groof Roel (Ed.) Brussels and Europe (pp. 61–72). Brussels: Academic and Scientific Publishers.Google Scholar
Urry, John. (2000). Sociology beyond societies: Mobilities for the twenty-first century. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Wittel, Andreas. (2001). Towards a Network Sociality. Theory, Culture and Society 18(6), 51–76. DOI logoGoogle Scholar