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Wake Forest University

Publication Date

Fall 2007

Program Name

Netherlands: Sexuality and Gender Identity

Abstract

The introduction of immigrants from traditionally Islamic countries has created a new dynamic within the Dutch social system. Seemingly clashing with the established facade of Dutch “tolerance”, this group of Muslim immigrants has logically found a natural enemy within right-wing political parties. However, on a more interesting level, we see that the political agenda of the gay movement has seemingly converged with the agenda of those right-wing groups. In a sense, this convergence of agendas seems odd considering the general association of the gay movement with leftist, more progressive political movements. This study intends to examine this convergence of agendas; working from a basic theoretical design rooted in group identity and postmodern perspectives on language. Through careful research into the realities of Dutch society, as contrasted with apparent realities in American society, this study set out to create a defensible argument for the assessment of this political alliance. The end-goal of this study initially was to frame the convergence of agendas either within the context of opportunism or within the context of genuine ideology. As the study progressed, it became readily evident that, with a greater concept of Dutch society, the question of opportunism seems to invoke its own relevance in the near future but not within the current socio-political discourse in the Netherlands.

Disciplines

Inequality and Stratification | Political Science | Race and Ethnicity

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