European diplomacy in a Multiplex world: ‘Navigating’ Institutional Racism at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Following the BlackLivesMatter movement, European diplomats have started to address racism within their organisations. Drawing from ontological security theory as well as postcolonial literature on migration, this article analyses why and how European foreign affairs ministries have adapted their internal organisation policies for more diverse and inclusive diplomatic practices. The article explores why and how the Dutch foreign affairs ministry commissioned a report on institutional racism in 2019-2023. The article argues that initiatives related to racism, diversity and inclusion constitute adaptive strategies to keep narrating a coherent self-image of a liberal actor within times of erosion of Western dominance. It demonstrates that the liberal world order as constructed through racial hierarchies has created ontological insecurities for insider ‘others’, diplomats of ethnic and religious minorities background who challenge the dominant narrative from within.