The Ambivalent Nature of Ethnic Segregation in France's Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods

• Published in: Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 47; no. 8; pp. 1603 - 1623
• Main Author: Shon, Jean-Louis Pan Ké
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2010; Longman Group; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Ambivalence; Bgi / Prodig; Black people; Blacks; Census; Censuses; Disadvantaged; Employment; Ethnic neighborhoods; Ethnicity; France; Housing; Housing discrimination; Human geography; Minority & ethnic groups; Neighborhoods; Neighbourhoods; Population geography and social geography; Racial segregation; Residential areas; Residential Mobility; Residential segregation; Residents; Riots; Segregation; Social classes; Social geography; Sociodemographics; Suburban areas; Suburbs; Unemployment; Unemployment rates; Upward mobility; Urban studies; Violence; France; Social inequality; Ethnic minority; Discrimination; Residential mobility; Segregation; Suburbs; Africans; Social exclusion; Decayed neighbourhood; Unemployment; Social geography
• ISSN: 0042-0980; 1360-063X
• DOI: 10.1177/0042098009356123

To achieve a better understanding of life conditions in the suburbs (banlieues) that erupted in the 2005 riots, segregation in France is here evaluated for the first time. The apparent reduction in class segregation between two most recent full censuses and the contrary rise in ethnic segregation are shown. Using longitudinal data and observing the residential mobility of residents in the 'sensitive neighbourhoods', it is shown that: most who move out are upwardly mobile; Africans find it harder to move out and are three times more likely to move into the least-advantaged neighbourhoods; the more the neighbourhood is disadvantaged, the more its residents move into another equally disadvantaged neighbourhood.