This open access book presents a comparative analysis of intergroup relations and migrant
integration at the neighbourhood level in Europe. Featuring a unique collection of portraits of
urban relations between the majority population and immigrant minorities it examines how
relations are structured and evolve in different and increasingly diverse local societies.
Inside readers will find a coordinated set of ethnographic studies conducted in eleven
neighbourhoods of five European cities: London Barcelona Budapest Nuremberg and Turin. The
wide-ranging coverage encompasses post-industrial districts struggling to counter decline
vibrant super-diverse areas and everything in between. Featuring highly contextualised
cross-disciplinary explorations presented within a solid comparative framework this book
considers such questions as: Why does the native-immigrant split become a tense boundary in
some neighbourhoods of some European cities but not in others? To what extent are ethnically
framed conflicts driven by site-specific factors or instead by broader exogenous ones? How
much does the structure of urban spaces count in fuelling inter-ethnic tensions and what can
local policy communities do to prevent this? The answers it provides are based on a multi-layer
approach which combines in-depth analysis of intergroup relations with a strong attention
towards everyday categorization processes media representations and narratives on which local
policies are based. Even though the relations between the majority and migrant minorities are a
central topic the volume also offers readers a broader perspective of social and urban
transformation in contemporary urban settings. It provides insightful research on migration and
urban studies as well as social dynamics that scholars and students around the world will find
relevant. In addition policy makers will find evidence-based and practically relevant lessons
for the governance of increasingly diverse and mobile societies.
