Poles in Belgium are a large and diverse group. However, their numbers do not translate into their position in Belgian society. They are still a minority that you are aware of but you don’t hear about or notice. This condition reproduces the stereotype of the Polish diaspora perceived by the Belgians as a closed group, hermetic and not very willing to contact citizens of the countries of residence. This stereotype is emphasized by a significant dissonance, which is very clearly seen in the community of Poles in Belgium. Reflecting on the reasons for this state of affairs, we decided to confront our knowledge and experience with representatives of the Belgian intelligentsia.
During the next three debates, we tried to find a common position in relation to three contexts – the role of women, a measure of political activity and the place of entrepreneurship in the Polish community in Belgium. In the search for good practices, we compared our community with other well-installed ones in Belgium, including Portuguese or Spanish, looking for reference points and attempting to predict favorable and possible solutions among the Polish diaspora.
