Araby: A Self-fulfilling Prophecy? : The Reproduction of Rumours and Socio-Economic Conditions in Araby, Växjö

Abstract: Questions of integration and immigration are increasingly subject to public debate in Sweden. With the arrival of many immigrants, the current ethnic housing segregation in the country is enforced. The problems associated to segregated and socio-economic weak areas are to a larger extent also defined in terms of ethnicity: connecting problems of a place to the people of that place. Research shows that many problems in these neighbourhoods exist regardless of who happens to be the residents today. Based on this, the current study aims to better understand the reproduction of rumours and socio-economic conditions in Araby, Växjö. The voices of people from Araby are brought forward in order to let them reflect about their neighbourhood. The main material collected through interviews provide an exploration of different perceptions present in relation to processes of reproduction in Araby. The material is discussed in relation to the concepts zone in transition and stigmatisation of place and mutually the concepts are discussed by situating them in relation to the material. Two new insights not pronounced in previous studies were found: the segregation unfolding within Araby, and the understanding of the neighbourhood as a zone in transition in a positive light. In conclusion, the study strengthens previous literature on segregated and socio-economic weak areas and also problematizes the application of the concepts used. The exploration lays ground for future research, in Araby, or in other kinds of segregated neighbourhoods.