Debating Intercultural Integration in Belgium: From the Commission for Intercultural Dialogue to the Round Tables on Interculturalism

Leyva, Karel J. [Université de Montréal] Vanbellingen, Léopold [UCL]

This chapter represents a comparative study of two Belgian federal commissions on cultural diversity: the "Commission du Dialogue Interculturel" (Commission for Intercultural Dialogue, 2004–2005) and the "Assises de l’Interculturalité" (The Round Tables on Interculturalism, 2009–2010). After presenting the contexts in which these commissions were created and the mandates entrusted to them, we examine the content of the reports and their reception in Belgium, as well as the follow-up and implementation of the recommendations. We conclude that the value of these two exercises in civic reflection lies in their stimulation of long-term public discussion of interculturalism in Belgium.