Social Science and the Desegregation Process

• Date: 01 March 1956
• Author: Herbert Blumer
• Published date: 01 March 1956
• DOI: 10.1177/000271625630400118
• Subject Matter: Articles

Social Science and the Desegregation Process
By HERBERT BLUMER
THIS paper undertakes to analyze ileges. A brief consideration of these
segregation as a social process.
two forms of segregation will be helpful.
Subsequently, consideration is given to
Ecological studies of the residential
the problem of desegregation and to the
distribution of people, particularly in
general lines along which programs of
large cities, show a pattern of distin-
desegregation must move. Our concern
guishable areas. Each area tends to be
is primarily with racial desegregation.
distinctive in terms of the people who
Segregation is continuously at work
inhabit it, the kind of local institutions
in all human societies as a natural, un-
lodged in it, and the general round of
guided, and unwitting process. It takes
life of its people. Such areas are fa-
the form of a diverse and chiefly un-
miliar to us in the case of &dquo;black belts,&dquo;
designed operation which sets apart
&dquo;little Italies,&dquo; and other ethnic areas;
groups of people inside of a larger, em-
they are also noted in the case of slums,
bracing society. This setting apart may
workingmen areas, homeless-men areas,
result from practices of exclusion em-
apartment-house areas, &dquo;gold coasts,&dquo;
ployed by one group against others, or
and rooming-house areas.
by voluntary withdrawal on the part of
The formation of such differentiated
given groups, or by the operation of
areas, while not unaffected by deliberate
natural forces which place individuals
governmental policy, is primarily a
in different localities or different social
natural and spontaneous process. They
spheres. The result of this undesigned
are the product roughly of three kinds
process is to form disparate groups.
of forces: (1) neutral forces, such as
Each group .is relatively homogeneous.
level of income and accessibility to
Each constitutes the arena for the bulk
places of work; (2) forces of attraction,
of the associations and experiences of
such as wishing to live among people
its members. Each is limited in access
with whom one identifies oneself; and
to the life of other groups. Each is
(3) forces of rejection, as when people
denied, accordingly, the special privi-
are found unacceptable or unsuitable as
leges granted by other groups to their
residents in given areas. This process
members.
Segregation is a primary
of ecological differentiation, operating
means by which a human society de-
without any over-all conscious design,
velop~ an inner organization-an alloca-
promotes the formation of separate so-
tion of diverse elements into an articu-
cial worlds, guides and fosters separate
lated arrangement.
areas of association, and restricts par-
ticipation in the life of outside groups.
NATURE OF SEGREGATION
In our modern complex world this natu-
Sociologists have been concerned with
ral process of ecological allocation has
two chief manifestations of this natural
become a primary medium and cause
process of segregation. These are (1)
of segregation.
the formation of diversified areas of resi-
The study of human group life re-
dence, chiefly in large cities, and (2) the
veals clearly another line of segregation
exclusion exercised by human groups in
in the form of the exclusion exercised
accepting members and in granting priv-
by one group against members of other
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138
groups. Such exclusion is indigenous in
SEGREGATION AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
human societies. Every group having a
sense of identity and some kind of pur-
It is evident, immediately, that when
pose exercises some measure of control
we speak of segregation as a social
over membership in its body and over
problem, as a condition to be prevented
access to the privileges which its life
or overcome, we are not referring to the
affords. Whether it be a family, a so-
total process of segregation. We refer
cial club, a clique, a group of friends,
instead only to special instances which
a business organization, a professional
have been challenged. Such challenges
society, a labor union, a church, or a
arose in the form of a claim to the right
self-conscious neighborhood, the group
of being accepted into a group or shar-
necessarily recognizes certain criteria of
ing the privileges which the group denies
membership and rejects those who are
through its act of exclusion. It is evi-
deemed not to meet such criteria. Simi-
dent that the claim arises and has valid-
larly, it does not grant to outsiders the
ity only through the application, of the
particular rights and privileges open to
standards of a larger inclusive group,
its membership. It is only because
such as an embracing political society
such group exclusion is so rarely chal-
with legal rights of citizenship or a
lenged that we fail to realize how basic
transcending moral community with a
and extensive it is in the life of human
set of ethical expectations. Given lines
societies. If groups could not draw lines
or instances of group exclusion become
and exercise control over accessibility to
suspect only when they contravene po-
their ranks and their privileges, their
litical or moral rights. Since this con-
existence would be intrinsically doome-d
stitutes the heart of the...