Auteur: Alix Goldstein UvA
MSc Thesis UvA - Who belongs where? Feeling of belonging and Etnic Segregation in Amsterdam
By Alix Goldstein
This study aims to explore how feelings of belonging to Dutch society are connected to processes of ethnic segregation amongst Moroccan and Turkish Dutch communities. Research is carried out in Amsterdam, specifically within the district of Nieuw West. Nieuw West boasts a large population of Moroccan and Turkish Dutch with disproportionate scatterings of white Dutch populations. Results indicate that Moroccan and Turkish Dutch living in Amsterdam Nieuw West experience a weak sense of belonging to the Netherlands but a strong sense of belonging to their neighborhood. This is in part due to occurrences of discrimination, leading these two minority populations to congregate in safe spaces where others share similar identities. In this way, the neighborhood acts as a buffer against experiences of discrimination while simultaneously cultivating areas of inclusion and acceptance. This process influences the configuration of the ethnically segregated neighborhood of Amsterdam Nieuw West. Notions of identity, discrimination, and scale play a large role in these findings.