Spatial proximity and social distance: Albanian migrants' invisible exclusions: Evidence from Greece

Type Conference Paper - World Bank International Conference on \"Poverty and Social Inclusion in the Western Balkans\"
Title Spatial proximity and social distance: Albanian migrants' invisible exclusions: Evidence from Greece
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2010
City Brussels
Country/State Belgium
URL http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTECAREGTOPPOVRED/Resources/ikokkalipaperWBWesternBalkans.pdf
Abstract
The spatial distance/proximity between two (or more) populations does not provide any measure for their social distance/proximity. More importantly this proximity might dissimulate various forms of exclusion and marginalisation, and let for discussions on a migratory group’s successful integration into the host country. This seems to be the case of Albanians in Greece, who are recently thought to be a successful paradigm of immigrant inclusion. We will maintain that if Albanians do mingle spatially with Greeks, this cannot be taken as an a priori social aggregation to Greeks neither as evidence for the Albanians’ social inclusion into the dominant society. Moreover, we will seek to explore the preconditions of this supposed integration, that is to say which are those facts, attitudes, phenomena, etc. that justify why Albanians are thought to be integrated into the Greek society. We will argue that this ‘integration’ is more fictive than real.

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