Exploring notions of fair practice in urban renewal and the position of post-colonial citizens in Amsterdam’s Bijlmer

Abstract

Social scientists in the Netherlands have pleaded for circumspection when using the colonial paradigm to discuss racism, at times ignoring the latent racialization of post-colonial migrants in political and academic discourses throughout the later half of the twentieth century. This has led to a lack of critical reflection regarding the position of the post-colonial migrant in contemporary Dutch society. This paper describes the historical and social contexts surrounding two housing renewal projects in Amsterdam’s Bijlmer to illustrate how presuppositions regarding post-colonial citizens, race relations and neo-liberal urban restructuring have brought about an unequal approach to urban renewal in a historically Afro-Dutch neighbourhood.