---

---

---

---

Science Current Events and Science News RSS Feeds

---

---

Email a Friend Printer Friendly

Shattering the myth of self-segregation

December 05, 2002

The myth of self-segregation by Asian communities - accused of keeping themselves apart and refusing to mix with other races and religions - has been shattered by researchers at Leeds.

In one of the widest surveys of housing patterns amongst the Asian communities of Leeds and Bradford, Dr Deborah Phillips and her team found that, while there may be a continuing desire for clustering amongst many South Asians for cultural and security reasons, this does not equate to a desire for social segregation from other groups.

The ESRC-funded study also found that certain sections of the Asian population are increasingly living in suburbs, particularly in Leeds where economic prosperity has resulted in a greater degree of social mobility.

Dr Phillips said: "Following the riots last summer, both the press and politicians talked about 'divided worlds' and 'communities living in parallel'. Some segregation does exist, in where people live and are schooled, but this was painted as completely negative, with the Asian communities accused of not wanting to integrate. Our study has shown this is not the case."

The majority of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis would be happy to live in areas where both Asian and white families live, and most believed that more Asians would move from established community areas in the future. However, living near to other Asian families was also seen as important, to retain cultural, religious and family ties or simply for the sense of security the presence of other 'Asian faces' could offer.

"Segregated patterns of living are not just a matter of choice," said Dr Phillips. "There is a continuing racialisation of space, which results in restricted choices about where to live. Our findings show that it is sustained by some estate agents treating Asians unfairly, and worries on the part of the Asian population about isolation, reinforced by fears of racist harassment."

The study set out to identify the motivations and aspirations of the Asian population in Leeds and Bradford with regard to housing. They looked at the scale and pattern of South Asian relocation away from core community areas, what motivated this relocation, and what factors enabled or constrained the process, particularly the role of housing institutions.

The researchers talked to focus groups within the Asian communities, carried out interviews with community members and estate agents, and collected over 400 detailed questionnaires from Asian households on their housing situation and aspirations. They analysed distinctive names from electoral registers to plot the movement of Muslim, Hindu and Sikh households over the last 10 years.

The main findings of the project have been sent to Leeds and Bradford city councils and to the communities who took part in the study, through local community groups. A summary of the main findings of the study is attached to this press release.

Leeds, University of