How Do Mixed-Race Individuals Perceive Themselves in Francophone Belgium? The Identity Development of Belgian-Burudian Young Adults

Abstract

The research question being “How Do Mixed-Race Individuals Perceive Themselves in Francophone Belgium? The Identity Development of Belgian-Burundian Young Adults”, this paper focuses on Mixed-race individuals of a Belgian and a Burundian descent and their identity development. Through the interview of eight Belgian-Burundians aged between nineteen and twenty-six years old, the study demonstrates how various factors jointly influence their identity process and therefore their racial identity. These factors include one’s bonds with his/her family, his/her knowledge of the mother tongue, his/her cultural attachments to his/her countries of origin, others’ perception of himself/herself, his/her gender, and his/her experiences of racism. These determinants affect Mixed-race individuals through their lifetime as they try to find themselves and build their identity. It is an evolving process, suggesting that one’s identity is not fixed and can change over time. In addition, the research shows that Mixed-race Belgian-Burundians living in Belgium face similar experiences and encounter comparable challenges. They respond individually to these challenges and develop their personal racial identity. While some individuals agree with existing racial categories allocated to them and embrace the latter, others reject them and rather claim a different existing racial category or a personal one.