A ghetto is defined as an area within a city, majorly impoverished, disadvantaged, and neglected, that is occupied by members of a minority group, who are entirely separated from the larger society. The groups that occupy ghettos may be determined by such factors as race, nationality, religion, and they result in living in the areas due to political, economic, legal, or social pressure. Europe is one of the regions that have a history of establishing ghettos, particularly for the Jews. The Jews were restricted to occupy selected parts of Europe, a situation that was enhanced during the Nazi regime. However, in 1943, the all the ghettos were dissolved and transformed into concentration camps. Although Europe comprises of several informal settlements that qualify as ghettos, the settlements better match the definition of an enclave since the occupants are neither forced nor threatened to stay in such settlements.
A ghetto differs from an enclave in that while ghettos are parts of the city where minority groups live due to legal, social, or economic pressure, enclaves refer to regions whose geographical boundaries are established entirely within another territory’s boundaries. Further, ghettos and enclaves differ in that in ghettos, people are almost threatened or forced to live there, and they are often considered as undesirable or threatening places. Conversely, enclaves usually comprise of people of the same social and economic status, as well as culture, who voluntarily live together by choice. However, enclaves and ghettos are similar in that they comprise the lower economic ladder, and they are overcrowded and overpopulated.
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The significant debate about ghettos is centered on the element of integration. Murdie and Ghosh (2010, p.294) notes that one of the critical concerns of society is the aspect of the lack of integration between people living in the ghettos and the larger society. Peach (2010, p.586) postulates that the ethnic concentrations found in different parts of cities and suburban settlements are majorly associated with segregation, which is considered an essential barrier to achieving societal integration. Immigrants are considered a fundamental threat to the wellbeing of the society since their lack to integrate with other members of the society may encourage such activities as terrorism, since the concentration of a particular minority group in one region encourages the advancement of radicalization and extremism (Van Kempen and Şule Özüekren1998, p.1640). In their study, Murdie and Ghosh (2010, p.298) established that despite the common belief that spatial concentration leads to lack of integration, such concentration does not always hinder integration. However, the authors concluded that there is need to worry in case of new immigrants, who often settle in the inner suburban enclaves that are mostly concentrated, who may be a threat to the society.
Gruner (2010, p. 275-278) examines the concept of integration about the informal settlements occupied by the minority groups and mostly blames the immigrants for failing to integrate into the German society, but instead, they establish parallel societies. However, Gruner (2010, p.285) acknowledges that the boundaries between immigrants and the German population develop due to the racialized stereotypes rather than the diversity in the cultural practices. The author notes that the small-scale segregation that is witnessed in Germany primarily emanates from the racialized images of the persons perceived as Germans or otherwise, rather than from the elements of cultural differences and immigration. Hence, Gruner (2010, p.286) maintains that immigrants are never unwilling to integrate into the larger society, but the fact that the host populations deny them their social space motivates them to stay in regions that are dominated by other immigrants that share their cultural values for fear of victimization.
Although the segregation associated with the settlement patterns among the minority groups is primarily attributed to such social factors as racial stereotypes, Marcuse (2005, p.18) notes that the state also plays a significant role in encouraging such segregation. Marcuse maintains that although the factors that encourage undesirable clustering may be historical, they heavily rely on the state for their implementation, which illustrates that the state possesses the power to end the segregation. Marcuse (2010, p.24) defines segregation as the process by which people belonging to a particular group are involuntarily and forcefully required to cluster in a precisely defined spatial area, also known as a ghetto. Marcuse differentiates segregation from congregating, whereby congregating refers to the process of voluntarily coming together of people of a particular background for purposes of advancing their interests, protection, rather than through exclusion or domination. While the process of segregation pertains to forming and maintaining ghettos, congregation involves the formation and maintenance of enclaves. According to Marcuse (2010, p.27-30), while a ghetto refers to an area of spatial concentration that forces in the dominant society utilize to limit and separate a minority groups that they define as inferior or foreign, an enclave refers to an area of spatial concentration where members of a particular minority group congregate for purposes of cultural, economic, political, and social development as well as for protection against harm by the dominant society.
Based on the definitions of segregation and congregation presented in the above literature, the concept of ghetto does not exist in Europe. Preferably, the concept that exists in the region is an enclave since the majority of the individuals that occupy the impoverished and undesirable settlements do it willingly, mainly for security, cultural, economic, and social development. The three major groups that occupy the enclaves comprise of the Muslim immigrants, the gypsies, and other immigrants. The Muslims majorly choose to occupy one area to safeguard their religion as well as their cultural values (Levitt and Jaworsky, 2007, p.140-142). On the other hand, the Gypsies are majorly concentrated in disadvantaged areas, where they can interact with each other and preserve their cultural values. Apart from religion and the preservation of culture, just like other immigrants in Europe, the Muslims and Gypsies occupy the enclaves since housing is more affordable in the areas compared to other parts of the city. The majority of immigrants are low-income earners, and, therefore, for them to meet their basic needs and save some of their income, they opt to live in the enclaves, where life is much cheaper.
In conclusion, Europe established ghettos in the past, especially for the Jews, who were considered outsiders in the region. However, the ghettos were banned, and since then, immigrants chose their preferred places to live without any force or coercion. Given the high standards of living in Europe, the majority of immigrants who come to work in the region prefer the cheaper settlements, the enclaves, to facilitate their economic advancement. However, other minority groups opt for the settlements for the purpose of protection from harm by the majority group, which considers the minorities as inferior and as outsiders. The majority of immigrants in Europe are afraid of integrating with the larger society due to the existing racial stereotyping and victimization.
References List
Gruner, S., 2010. ‘The Others Don't Want….' Small-Scale Segregation: Hegemonic Public Discourses and Racial Boundaries in German Neighbourhoods. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies , 36 (2), pp.275-292.
Levitt, P. and Jaworsky, B.N., 2007. Transnational migration studies: Past developments and future trends. Annu. Rev. Sociol. , 33 , pp.129-156.
Marcuse, P., 2005. Enclaves yes, ghettos no. Desegregating the city: Ghettos, enclaves, and inequality , pp.15-30.
Murdie, R. and Ghosh, S., 2010. Does spatial concentration always mean a lack of integration? Exploring ethnic concentration and integration in Toronto. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies , 36 (2), pp.293-311.
Peach, C., 2010. The ghetto and the ethnic enclave. In M. Martiniello & J. Rath, eds. Selected Studies in International Migration and Immigrant Incorporation. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. p.586
Van Kempen, R. and Şule Özüekren, A., 1998. Ethnic segregation in cities: new forms and explanations in a dynamic world. Urban studies , 35 (10), pp.1631-1656.
