Socio-spatial Dynamics: Ethnic Divisions of Mobility and Housing in post-Palme Sweden

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse ethnic residential segregation in Sweden, both theoretically and empirically. It is argued that ethnic residential segregation, although it is an intra-urban phenomenon, must be viewed in a wider geographical perspective. The three major competing frameworks for analysing ethnic segregation are discussed: the cultural, the cultural racist and the structural approaches. Data suggest that all these three approaches may have relevance, but emphasis has to be put on the two latter explanatory frameworks. A dynamic approach is proposed which should focus on the key role of ethnic/race selective migration in shaping the ethnically partitioned city. This approach emphasises the importance of analysing the effect side of the segregated city and it includes an analysis of the institutional framework. Finally, and based on the proposed model, the role of politics in combating the contemporary social situation in so-called immigrant-dense neighbourhoods is discussed.