Understanding minority feeling among people without a migration background: evidence from five majority-minority European cities

Marina Lazëri*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In many cities in Western Europe inhabitants without a migration background have become a local minority group among many others in so-called majority-minority neighbourhoods. These inhabitants remain the numerical and cultural majority in their respective countries as a whole. Being a (local) numerical minority does not automatically mean experiencing one’s position as that of a minority, a position related not only to the numerical representation of a group, but also to the group’s experience of (lower) status within society. Using a Social Identity Theory framework, I investigate the characteristics of people without a migration background that feel like a local minority while they remain a national majority. The results show only a minority of respondents who live in majority-minority neighbourhoods actually feel like a minority. Those who do tend to perceive a larger outgroup size in their surroundings, feel socially marginalised, and have a more exclusive understanding of national identity. Thus, people without a migration background who feel like a minority see the ingroup as a truer reflection of the national community and at the same time see the ingroup’s position as disadvantaged.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1977-1995
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Volume49
Issue number8
Early online date31 Mar 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant # 741532. I would like to thank Marcel Coenders, Maurice Crul, Elif Keskiner and the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Funding

This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant # 741532. I would like to thank Marcel Coenders, Maurice Crul, Elif Keskiner and the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this manuscript.

FundersFunder number
European Research Council741532
European Research Council

    Keywords

    • feeling a minority
    • Majority-minority cities
    • marginalization
    • mixed neighbourhoods
    • social identity

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