Class conflict and inequality are phenomena that continue to attract attention globally. Strategies intended to reduce them focus on treatment of the symptoms, rather than addressing the root causes. The passive and reactive approach to the management of these social challenges is a major contributor to the failure to realize class uniformity and achieve equality. The result is the widening of socioeconomic gaps between residents in the ghettos and those in gated communities. Understanding the relationship between the phenomena is dependent on answering the question: “What is the role of socio-spatial segregation in the observed increase in rates of class conflict and inequality?”
To answer the research question, it is imperative to have an informed grasp of the phenomena of ghettos and gated communities, and the dynamics and mechanisms through which they operate. The Merriam Webster defines ghetto as a part of the city in which members of the minority group reside. Typically, populations in ghettos show vulnerability to social, legal, or economic pressures. Ghettos differ from other parts of the city through their characteristic impoverished state. In the US, ghettos are historical phenomena. Logan, Zhang, and Chunyu (2015) found out that the census data from 1900-1940 showed black communities to be unusually highly isolated, a trend that had no significant association with higher class standing or the region of birth. Consequently, Logan et al. (2015) concluded that factors and processes that led to the creation of ghettos were in place several decades before the concept became prominent in the 1940s.
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Gated communities differ from ghettos because of the perceived socioeconomic status of the residents. Charmes (2012) ironically referred to gated communities as ghettos in which the rich people choose to seclude themselves. The driving motives behind such exclusion are fear of others and the growing desire for enhanced security. Charmes (2012) contended that the ill-founded criticisms directed at gated communities originate from the misconception of the dynamics at play. The observation appears to advance the assumption that gated communities are not outcomes of the socioeconomic disparities, as depicted in popular opinion, but serve to enhance the visibility of disturbing social trends. However, the contrasting statuses of ghettos and gated communities, call to question their role in advancing class conflict and social inequality.
Interest in the Research Problem
The interest in the relationship between ghettos and gated communities and class conflict and inequality draws from the observation about their proliferation in cities worldwide. Dinzey-Flores (2013, p. 95) observed that, “gates have become ubiquitous in many commercial locales, residential buildings, government buildings, schools, prisons, and other social settings”. Scholars put significant emphasis on the residential gates because they generate a new version of imagery that rearranges communities’ relations, and forces city residents to reassess their spatial orientations (Dinzey-Flores, 2013). The imagery contrasts sharply with that of the sprawling ghettos devoid of any form of structural planning.
However, critics of ghettos and gated communities lack a consensus on whether their individual characteristics collate to contribute to class conflict and inequality. The interest in the research problem stems from the assertions advanced by different groups. For instance, Charmes (2012, par. 5) denounced the dominant point of view about gated communities being a manifestation of wealth by observing, “In effect, a gated community is generally nothing more than a housing estate. Nothing ever happens in them ….” The observation leads to the need to generate insights on the socioeconomic comparisons between ghettos and gated communities, and the bearing they have in the development of class conflict and inequality. Researching the problem would provide a new body of knowledge needed to redesign or escalate support programs targeted at each of the study populations.
Knowledge on the Topic
Knowledge on the causal relationship between phenomena of interest is spurious. The development of ghettos and the proliferation of gated communities continue in the modern society, and with them the visibility of the gap between the poor and the rich. Review of literature on the problem indicates that some critics and scholars argue for the existence of causality, while others against such a theory. The lack of consensus calls for further research to clarify the situation and chart the way forward in respect of the socioeconomic trends of the 21 st century. Previous literature on the problem appears to confirm the existence of a causal relationship, but attributes this state to historical socioeconomic practices that created racial and ethnic enclaves.
Justification of Research on the Problem
Previous research on the problem suggests the existence of causality between the study parameters. Despite placing significant emphasis on the factors and processes behind the development of ghettos and gated communities, Dinzey-Flores (2013) in a case study of Puerto Rico, concluded that ghettos and gated communities signify the extreme segregation of lifestyles that denies cities the spontaneous and diverse interactions they once experienced. The need to confirm the assertions is linked to the observations made in relation to the stimuli behind the development of ghettos and gated communities. Kovács and Hegedűs (2014) study exploring modern gated communities advanced that their development in post-socialist cities depicts the outcomes of globalization and socio-spatial differentiation. The development of high-income gated communities is traceable to inner city locations, then suburbs. In most cities, emergence of gated communities is linked to withdrawal of the government and cessation in planning control. Individuals migrate to gated communities in search of prestige and social homogeneity, a process that contributes to social and spatial change of the cities, and the subsequent emergence of the ghettos.
Class conflict and inequality depict a broken society, which according to Hancock and Mooney (2013), is emblematic of social and moral decay. Irresponsibility and disorderly behaviors are synonymous with disadvantaged working class communities in the ghetto, and together with dependency on welfare, they produce social breakdown. According to Hancock and Mooney (2013), social housing estates and the residents that occupy them are problematic and vulnerable, specifically pertaining to the interlinked concept of ghetto welfare. The most likely scenario is a tag of war between classes and the related discriminative practices may contribute to inequality. The basis of the theory about the existence of causality between ghetto and gated communities and class conflicts and inequality, also originates from historical practices of the governments. Jürgens, Gnad, and Bähr (2014) illustrate a case study of the apartheid South Africa, where socio-spatial engineering resulted to separation of residential areas based on race or ethnicity as per the dogma of an apartheid city. Such practices occurred worldwide in different forms, contributing to establishment of a deeply entrenched notion of class superiority based on socio-spatial segregation. The potential of modern forms of spatial segregations to cause class conflict and contribute to inequality cannot be understated.
Implications of the Topic for Sociology and the Society
The research topic has substantial implications for sociology and the society. Class conflict and inequality are social problems that are outcomes of the development, structure, and functioning of the human society, in this case, the rise of socio-spatial segregation in the form of ghettos and gated communities. Understanding of the relationship between these social factors is necessary to develop insights for solving the related social problems. Researching the topic seeks to deconstruct popular opinion about the socioeconomic differences between residents of the ghettos and gated communities. The objective is to advance Charmes (2012) argument that while some gated communities have wealthy residents, living in them is an individual choice and may have no bearing on class. The negative perceptions directed towards residents of the ghettos and gated communities contribute to stigmatization and discrimination, aspects that are responsible for class conflict and inequality among their residents.
References
Charmes, E. (2012). Gated communities: Ghettos for the rich? College of France. Retrieved from https://booksandideas.net/Gated-Communities-Ghettos-for-the.html
Dinzey-Flores, Z. (2013). Islands of Prestige, Gated Ghettos, and Nonurban Lifestyles in Puerto Rico. Latin American Perspectives , 40 (2), 95-104.
Hancock, L., & Mooney, G. (2013). “Welfare ghettos” and the “broken society”: Territorial stigmatization in the contemporary UK. Housing, Theory and Society , 30 (1), 46-64.
Jürgens, U., Gnad, M., & Bähr, J. (2014). New forms of class and racial segregation: Ghettos or ethnic enclaves? In Emerging Johannesburg (pp. 72-86). London: Routledge.
Kovács, Z., & Hegedűs, G. (2014). Gated communities as new forms of segregation in post-socialist Budapest. Cities , 36 , 200-209.
Logan, J. R., Zhang, W., & Chunyu, M. D. (2015). Emergent ghettos: Black neighborhoods in New York and Chicago, 1880–1940. American Journal of Sociology , 120 (4), 1055-1094.
