Social apartheid
Encyclopedia
Social apartheid refers to de facto segregation on the basis of class or economic status, in which an underclass
is forced to exist separated from the rest of the population. The word "apartheid", originally an afrikaans
word meaning "separation", gained its current meaning during the South African apartheid that took place between 1948 and early 1994, in which the government declared certain regions as being "for whites only", with the black population forcibly relocated to remote designated areas.
of 1950, into group areas as outlined by the Group Areas Act
of 1950. Outside of the South Africa
n context, the term has also come to be used to refer to ghettoization of minority populations in cities within particular suburbs or neighbourhoods.
in particular in societies where the polarization between rich and poor has become pronounced and has been identified in public policy as a problem that needs to be overcome, such as in Venezuela
where the supporters of Hugo Chavez
identify social apartheid as a reality which the wealthy try to maintain and Brazil
, where the term was coined to describe a situation where wealthy neighbourhoods are protected from the general population by walls, electric barbed wire and private security guards and where inhabitants of the poor slums are subjected to violence.
The Cuban government has been accused of creating an apartheid system, which whould be the only de facto and de jure apartheid system in Latinoamerica. Specifically, the government recognizes three groups of people with rights not granted to the others. Foreigners have rights not granted to Cubans: they can own houses and land. They can legally buy some electronics, and services such as internet, satellite TV and mobile phones. Ordinary Cubans are barred from the best hotels, beaches, shops and restaurants and cannot move inside the country or travel abroad without permission from the government. The government in practice grants permits to travel abroad, based in affinity to the regime and denies them to those who are not affine to the regime. The third group, Cubans residing abroad, can enter hotels and shops, but cannot own private property or remain in the country for more than a month as visitors. They cannot move back to Cuba as permanent residents or for retirement. Ordinary Cubans are sometimes even criminalized for approaching and talking to tourists.
, in which largely impoverished Muslim immigrants being concentrated in particular housing projects, and being provided with an inferior standard of infrastructure and social services. The issue of urban apartheid in France was highlighted as such in the aftermath of the 2005 civil unrest in France
. It has also be used to describe the segregation in Northern Ireland
.
, the term "social apartheid" has been used to describe persistent post-apartheid forms of exclusion and de facto segregation which exist based on class but which have a racial component because the poor are almost entirely black Africans. "Social apartheid" has been cited as a factor in the composition of HIV
/AIDS
in South Africa.
Underclass
The term underclass refers to a segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class. The general idea that a class system includes a population under the working class has a long tradition in the social sciences...
is forced to exist separated from the rest of the population. The word "apartheid", originally an afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
word meaning "separation", gained its current meaning during the South African apartheid that took place between 1948 and early 1994, in which the government declared certain regions as being "for whites only", with the black population forcibly relocated to remote designated areas.
Urban apartheid
Typically a component in social apartheid, urban apartheid refers to the spatial segregation of minorities to remote areas. In the context of the South African apartheid, this is defined by the reassignation of the four racial groups defined by the Population Registration ActPopulation Registration Act
The Population Registration Act of 1950 required that each inhabitant of South Africa be classified and registered in accordance with their racial characteristics as part of the system of apartheid. Social rights, political rights, educational opportunities, and economic status were largely...
of 1950, into group areas as outlined by the Group Areas Act
Group Areas Act
The Group Areas Act of 1950 was an act of parliament created under the apartheid government of South Africa on 27th April 1950. The act assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of urban apartheid...
of 1950. Outside of the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n context, the term has also come to be used to refer to ghettoization of minority populations in cities within particular suburbs or neighbourhoods.
Latin America
The term has become common in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
in particular in societies where the polarization between rich and poor has become pronounced and has been identified in public policy as a problem that needs to be overcome, such as in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
where the supporters of Hugo Chavez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
identify social apartheid as a reality which the wealthy try to maintain and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where the term was coined to describe a situation where wealthy neighbourhoods are protected from the general population by walls, electric barbed wire and private security guards and where inhabitants of the poor slums are subjected to violence.
The Cuban government has been accused of creating an apartheid system, which whould be the only de facto and de jure apartheid system in Latinoamerica. Specifically, the government recognizes three groups of people with rights not granted to the others. Foreigners have rights not granted to Cubans: they can own houses and land. They can legally buy some electronics, and services such as internet, satellite TV and mobile phones. Ordinary Cubans are barred from the best hotels, beaches, shops and restaurants and cannot move inside the country or travel abroad without permission from the government. The government in practice grants permits to travel abroad, based in affinity to the regime and denies them to those who are not affine to the regime. The third group, Cubans residing abroad, can enter hotels and shops, but cannot own private property or remain in the country for more than a month as visitors. They cannot move back to Cuba as permanent residents or for retirement. Ordinary Cubans are sometimes even criminalized for approaching and talking to tourists.
Europe
The term social apartheid has also been used to explain and describe the ghettoization of Muslim immigrants to Europe in impoverished suburbs and as a cause of rioting and other violence. A notable case is the social situation in the French suburbsSocial situation in the French suburbs
Outside of Paris are large blocks of government-built public housing, known as banlieues. The banlieues house hundreds of thousands of individuals of North African descent...
, in which largely impoverished Muslim immigrants being concentrated in particular housing projects, and being provided with an inferior standard of infrastructure and social services. The issue of urban apartheid in France was highlighted as such in the aftermath of the 2005 civil unrest in France
2005 civil unrest in France
The 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of riots by mostly Muslim North African youths in Paris and other French cities, involving mainly the burning of cars and public buildings at night starting on 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois...
. It has also be used to describe the segregation in Northern Ireland
Segregation in Northern Ireland
Segregation in Northern Ireland is a long-running issue in the political and social history of Northern Ireland. The segregation involves Northern Ireland's two main communities – its nationalist/republican community and its unionist/loyalist community...
.
South Africa
In South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the term "social apartheid" has been used to describe persistent post-apartheid forms of exclusion and de facto segregation which exist based on class but which have a racial component because the poor are almost entirely black Africans. "Social apartheid" has been cited as a factor in the composition of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in South Africa.