Ethnic minority representatives and discourses of betrayal: A case comparison of the Netherlands and Belgium

Since the 1990s, both the academic literature and public debate have problematized the possibility that descriptive representatives, such as ethnic-minority representatives, may enjoy a ‘representational leeway on policy matters’ (Fenno 2003, 32 in Jones 2014, 178). Both fields have problematized the relationships of trust which representatives’ descriptive characteristics and lived experiences evoke. Because of their emotive appeals to a notion of ‘likeness’, these descriptive characteristics may cause ethnic-minority constituents to (continue to) support representatives that do not promote their substantive interests (Mansbridge 1999; Gay 2002). The use of derogatory terms such as ‘Uncle Toms’ and ‘Alibi Alis’ in public debates reflects how concerns for minority betrayal and elite appropriation have also trickled through in society. A growing and innovative body of research is investigating this notion of group betrayal. A first set of research (Atkeson 2003; Dolan 2006; Jones 2014) has invalidated the thesis of ‘gullible’ ethnic-minority constituents and has demonstrated that minority constituents have greater knowledge of their descriptive representatives’ actions (in comparison to other representatives) and weigh these actions more carefully when evaluating them. A second strand of literature (Dovi 2002; Strolovitch 2006) has taken issue with the essentialist connotations of betrayal all the while cautioning against representatives’ tendency to promote only the interests of privileged subgroups. This paper adopts an inductive approach to ethnic minority betrayal and researches the kind of actors involved in, the motives for and arguments developed in mediatised discourses of betrayal. The paper researches two cases in point, namely: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian born representative elected in the Netherlands and Mimount Bousakla, a representative of Moroccan origin elected in Flanders. Both representatives were known for their criticism of Islam. The research draws from a data-set of newspaper articles on ethnic-minority parliamentarians in Flanders (1995-2014) and additional data collected for Ayaan Hirsi Ali in the Dutch media.