ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses aspects of urban segregation that are usually neglected in the related literature. The focus is on rarely scrutinized micro-segregation processes, i.e. on the social hierarchies formed in micro-spaces like the vertical social hierarchies by floor in apartment blocks. The marginalization of these aspects of segregation originates from the overwhelming attention on processes and structures that characterize segregation in the places that have been central for the development of urban studies and for theorizing segregation, notably in the US, where racial segregation at the neighbourhood scale is prominent. Subsequently, comparative analysis across cities—which is not a simple and neutral heuristic research tool—has marginalized micro-segregation as a result of the power relations shaping the production of theories and the unequal importance attributed to different contexts. Investigating segregation processes in contexts which have been less significant for theoretical analysis is hampered by the “unspoken comparison” embedded in available theorization. The negative implications of this are particularly important in relation to mid-range concepts like segregation. Understanding the workings of such processes of micro-segregation requires increased awareness of contextual settings where theoretical propositions are originated—which is downplayed through unuttered comparison.
