A Qualitative Research on Anti-Racist Activism in the Netherlands

Abstract

In recent years racism has been a high profile topic of debate in the Netherlands. The current political moment is one in which an anti-racist discourse is being produced by activists, academics and authors alike. Not much is known about the specificities of anti-racist activism in the Netherlands, however, despite its increased visibility in recent years. This qualitative study provides new insights on anti-racist activism and analyses how anti-racist activism in the Netherlands can be classified. It takes a mixed-methods approach using interviews and an analysis of online documents by anti-racist activist organisations. Four classes of anti-racist activism in the Netherlands can be identified. These classes can be distinguished between based on how they relate to the state, which notions of justice they invoke, and how they attend to issues of intersectionality. All activisms are engaged in countering misrecognition. In a context in which the existence of racism is denied, Dutch anti-racist activists are trying to claim a space for their own identities to be recognised. The insights provided in this study can be used to expand knowledge on racism in contemporary Dutch society and in the creation of policies that deal with racism and discrimination in the Netherlands.