Segregation & territorial stigma : A case study of Botkyrka Municipality, Stockholm

Abstract: Segregation is increasing in Sweden, and the political discourse about violence in Swedish suburbs has intensified dramatically throughout the last years. Segregated areas are often described as dangerous areas with a lot of insecurities. In this paper, I´m going to present a case study of Botkyrka municipality which is in south Stockholm. The purpose of this study is to see if media and political discourse are stigmatizing Botkyrka or not. By interviewing people living in Botkyrka, I get their perspective of living in Botkyrka municipality. This case study can be exemplifying a case study of suburbs in Stockholm as the discourse can be similar to other suburbs in Stockholm. This case study is following an abductive qualitative approach using theories as neighborhood-effect, segregation, and territorial stigma to answer the research questions “Does the image of Botkyrka municipality presented by political actors and media create territorial stigmatization of Botkyrka municipality?” and  “What are Botkyrka municipality as an organization doing to decrease segregation, and what are the biggest challenges in their work?” Interviews are conducted both randomly in chosen areas and in-depth interviews with chosen respondents. Findings from this case study show that certain areas of Botkyrka are stigmatized, that citizens in Botkyrka refer to some areas as dangerous, which is also presented in political discourse and media, as events taking place in these areas are referred to Botkyrka, it creates a territorial stigma of Botkyrka municipality. As some neighborhoods in Botkyrka is affected more negatively by school segregation, youth in these areas face a higher risk of getting excluded from society and fall into a destructive way of living, as influences among youth living in low-economic neighborhoods are strong predictors of negative behaviors, such as drug abuse, crime, and participation in the job market. Territorial stigma and the neighborhood-effect becomes obstacles in the work of decreasing segregation, further, inequality is an obstacle in the work of decreasing segregation. The unequal access to different key resources as housing, education, and jobs are great challenges in process of decreasing segregation.