Controversial Approaches to Measuring Mixed-Race in Belgium: The (In)Visibility of the Mixed-Race Population

Through a socio-historical analysis, this chapter elucidates the measurement of mixedness in Belgium. The federal state does not systematically measure the mixed-race population which, in contemporary national surveys, is included under the category of nationals of foreign origin. Origin is conceptualized as ancestry: having a foreign-born parent or grandparent categorizes mixed children among nationals of foreign origin. Individuals cannot self-describe as belonging to an ethnic group and ethnic labels are not included in any administrative or identity documents. The study of colonial and contemporary ideologies—namely the ‘mulatto problem’, gender and nationality rights, and the Flemish and French socio-political divide on the collection of ethnic statistics—assists in better understanding the (in)visibility of this topic. Although nationality is the variable employed to distinguish foreign residents from citizens, the persistent inequalities in labour market inclusion led, in 2013, to a federal consensus on the need for measuring origin to tackle ethnic-based discrimination among citizens. These developments may improve knowledge on visible origins, perceived discrimination, and mixedness. Nonetheless, beyond revising social ethno-stratification and colonial history, recent migration management poses new questions concerning mixed unions and mixed descendants.