Call for Papers: special issue of Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics -Production of marginality: spatial exclusion and development programs

The formation of 'Roma ghettos' across Europe as impoverished territories associated with "Gypsyness" is a manifestation of spatialization and racialization of social exclusion, and eventually of advanced marginality created by the overlapping mechanisms of capitalism and racism. The spatial positioning of people belonging to different social classes or with diverse social status and ethnic backgrounds on the mental and geographic maps of localities is the territorial expression of social inequalities created by the larger political regime. Spatial exclusion is both a cause and a consequence of social inequalities, and marginalization advances through both social and spatial processes. However, neither spatial exclusion nor social inequalities are created by space or poverty, but they are the effects of the economic and cultural order of capitalism, among others of its development paradigms (re)creating socio-spatial inequalities and injustices. The phenomenon of spatial segregation (and of how material deprivation overlaps with ethnic separation) is a dynamic process: the territorial divisions of the settlements, and the concepts used to identify them are subject to continuous economic, social, and political changes during which the local actors re-construct and divide the space along their social, economic, and political interests. Moreover, local development projects or different community based programmes applied to segregated neighbourhoods are very often structured in a way that facilitates the access to the financial resources of the European Union, and they reflect the interests of various local actors positioned unequally in the local power structure.

In this special issue of Intersections., we aim (1) to analyse different patterns and mechanisms of spatial exclusion affecting marginalized Roma, and (2) to address the historical dynamics of their spatial position in a given settlement, while connecting these phenomena with 'development programmes' that create or eliminate Roma colonies and slums, or aim at the development of Roma communities. We are looking for papers that primarily address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

- Patterns and mechanisms of spatial and social exclusion of marginalized Roma

- The historical formation of the spatial position of Roma groups at the local level 

- Practices of using space associated with marginalized social groups

- Pushing the poor out of the city: gentrification and spatial cleansing

- Critical analysis of different space based and community development programmes

 We are inviting scholars to submit an abstract of no more than 800 words including a short bio and the description of the main question(s) and finding(s) of the paper along with the methodology applied, by March 31st 2015 through our online submission system. The deadline for final papers is June 30st 2015.

http://intersections.tk.mta.hu/index.php/intersections

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In case of any further questions contact our guest editors Enikő Vincze (eniko_vincze@euro.ubbcluj.ro) and Tünde Virág (viragt@rkk.hu). If you encounter technical problems contact István Hegedűs (intersections@tk.mta.hu).