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The murder of Joe Van Holsbeeck prompted many categories of young people to be defined: those who do well at school and who militate in favour of good causes; the eternal suspects whom we heap opprobrium on without warning; and the invisible youth revealed by surveillance cameras. Generosity and threat are two characteristics ascribed to young people. This dramatic news item cannot be reduced to the violence of youth. One must question the persistent tendency to bring discredit on certain young people in Brussels, their increasingly precarious existence, and the growing adversity between young people of various social and ethnic origins. In the 1989 work Réussir Bruxelles edited by Charles Picqué, the chapter on youth mentioned the lack of importance attached to the young population. Twenty years later, this observation has not changed. Certain aspects of the situation have, in contrast, worsened. However, the Brussels-Capital Region has a large youth population which constitutes a source of opportunities rather than a handicap, although this viewpoint does not prevail. Young people are too often dealt with in the prism of social problems. Unfortunately, this contribution will not entirely escape this tendency.

The murder of Joe Van Holsbeeck prompted many categories of young people to be defined: those who do well at school and who militate in favour of good causes; the eternal suspects whom we heap opprobrium on without warning; and the invisible youth revealed by surveillance cameras. Generosity and threat are two characteristics ascribed to young people. This dramatic news item cannot be reduced to the violence of youth. One must question the persistent tendency to bring discredit on certain young people in Brussels, their increasingly precarious existence, and the growing adversity between young people of various social and ethnic origins. In the 1989 work Réussir Bruxelles edited by Charles Picqué, the chapter on youth mentioned the lack of importance attached to the young population. Twenty years later, this observation has not changed. Certain aspects of the situation have, in contrast, worsened. However, the Brussels-Capital Region has a large youth population which constitutes a source of opportunities rather than a handicap, although this viewpoint does not prevail. Young people are too often dealt with in the prism of social problems. Unfortunately, this contribution will not entirely escape this tendency.

The murder of Joe Van Holsbeeck prompted many categories of young people to be defined: those who do well at school and who militate in favour of good causes; the eternal suspects whom we heap opprobrium on without warning; and the invisible youth revealed by surveillance cameras. Generosity and threat are two characteristics ascribed to young people. This dramatic news item cannot be reduced to the violence of youth. One must question the persistent tendency to bring discredit on certain young people in Brussels, their increasingly precarious existence, and the growing adversity between young people of various social and ethnic origins. In the 1989 work Réussir Bruxelles edited by Charles Picqué, the chapter on youth mentioned the lack of importance attached to the young population. Twenty years later, this observation has not changed. Certain aspects of the situation have, in contrast, worsened. However, the Brussels-Capital Region has a large youth population which constitutes a source of opportunities rather than a handicap, although this viewpoint does not prevail. Young people are too often dealt with in the prism of social problems. Unfortunately, this contribution will not entirely escape this tendency.

Brussels is a city which is highly segmented on both the social as the cultural level. This diversity is also reflected among the youth. In this article we present the results of a survey undertaken among the last year students of the francophone schools of the city of Brussels. The survey, which focusses on life styles, racism and insecurity, confirms the multifaceted character of the Brussels youth. Important sources of diversity and division are social background, ethnic origin and school choice. Our findings attest that the relations amongst young people are built on identities that are rooted in references to socio-economic class and ethnic origin, while their intensity varies with the type of education. The ethnicisation of the young people’s social relations seems to be very widespread. The survey attests to a paradox: racist insults are quite common, and are not only oriented towards ethnic minorities, but at the same time almost everyone supports the dominant antiracist discourse.

Brussels is a city which is highly segmented on both the social as the cultural level. This diversity is also reflected among the youth. In this article we present the results of a survey undertaken among the last year students of the francophone schools of the city of Brussels. The survey, which focusses on life styles, racism and insecurity, confirms the multifaceted character of the Brussels youth. Important sources of diversity and division are social background, ethnic origin and school choice. Our findings attest that the relations amongst young people are built on identities that are rooted in references to socio-economic class and ethnic origin, while their intensity varies with the type of education. The ethnicisation of the young people’s social relations seems to be very widespread. The survey attests to a paradox: racist insults are quite common, and are not only oriented towards ethnic minorities, but at the same time almost everyone supports the dominant antiracist discourse.

Brussels is a city which is highly segmented on both the social as the cultural level. This diversity is also reflected among the youth. In this article we present the results of a survey undertaken among the last year students of the francophone schools of the city of Brussels. The survey, which focusses on life styles, racism and insecurity, confirms the multifaceted character of the Brussels youth. Important sources of diversity and division are social background, ethnic origin and school choice. Our findings attest that the relations amongst young people are built on identities that are rooted in references to socio-economic class and ethnic origin, while their intensity varies with the type of education. The ethnicisation of the young people’s social relations seems to be very widespread. The survey attests to a paradox: racist insults are quite common, and are not only oriented towards ethnic minorities, but at the same time almost everyone supports the dominant antiracist discourse.