Ethnicized social outskirts

Abstract

The reigning view within politics and media is that national and particularly ethnic origin – the "other" and "foreign" cultural background – might provide an explanation for the failure of "successful integration" from parts of the immigrant population. In the following article, I present a different hypothesis: namely, that the marginalization of third-country nationals and immigrants from the new EU member countries in Austria is due primarily to social exclusion by the host society. Indicators on education and the utilization of education, participation in the labour force, unemployment and occupation and housing conditions, as well as poverty as a key indicator provide evidence to this effect. It would thus appear that the public debate on ethnicity and cultural barriers to integration largely serves to camouflage social inequality and discrimination.