The monograph “Behind the Walls of the City: Social and Economic Dimensions of Segregation in Roma Ghettoised Urban Structures” (353 pages), authored by Associate Professor Kamelia Petkova, has recently been published.
The book explores the social and economic inequalities in Roma neighbourhoods in Bulgaria and examines the ways in which spatial isolation affects the everyday lives, opportunities and life prospects of people living in these urban spaces. The study approaches Roma ghettoised neighbourhoods not only as territories of poverty, but also as social spaces where different forms of exclusion intersect: economic, educational, institutional and spatial. Particular attention is paid to the role of infrastructural deficits, limited access to services, territorial stigmatisation and the mechanisms through which social inequalities are reproduced.The monograph is based on a nationally representative empirical study conducted in different settlements across Bulgaria and combines quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis. On this basis, the book traces various models of social and economic segregation, as well as their impact on access to education, labour opportunities, infrastructure and public resources.
The study contributes to scholarly debates on urban inequalities, social exclusion and spatial segregation by focusing on the Bulgarian context and the everyday social realities within Roma neighbourhoods. The book also raises broader questions concerning the right to a dignified urban life, social justice and the possibilities for overcoming persistent forms of marginalisation in contemporary urban societies.
