Historic social segregation

2017
united kingdom

Historic social segregation refers to the systematic separation of people based on race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status in various aspects of society, such as housing, education, public facilities, employment, and social opportunities. This form of segregation has occurred throughout history and has been a means of maintaining power and privilege for dominant groups, while marginalizing and oppressing minority groups.

Examples of historic social segregation include apartheid in South Africa, where the government enforced strict racial separation and discrimination, denying black South Africans basic rights and opportunities. In the United States, racial segregation was prevalent throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the southern states where Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in public spaces and institutions. These laws aimed to reinforce white supremacy and limit the social, economic, and political progress of African Americans.

Other forms of segregation have also existed, such as religious segregation, where certain religious groups were denied access to public spaces or faced discrimination in employment or housing. Examples include the religious discrimination faced by Jews in medieval Europe or the segregation of Native Americans in boarding schools during the colonization of North America.

These historic forms of social segregation have had lasting effects on society, continuing to shape social and economic disparities among different groups. While significant progress has been made in dismantling these systems of segregation, their legacies can still be observed in many societies today.

Further reading

Roitman S.; Giglio M.A. (2010) "Latin American gated communities: The latest symbol of historic social segregation", Gated Communities: Social Sustainability in Contemporary and Historical Gated Developments, 63-78. Taylor and Francis. DOI: [1]