Coexistence of Paradigms? Residential Segregation in Spain after Mass Migration (2000-2010)

Abstract

During the first decade of the 21st Century Spain experienced one of the most remarkable episodes of international migration worldwide. Following the numerical increase and diversification of the inflows, the study of settlement of immigrants has become fundamental to assess whether and how different immigrant groups experience the patterns and processes of spatial concentration and dispersal. The aim of this work is threefold; first, it describes the spatial pattern of international migration to both the main metropolitan destinations and new settlement areas; second, it analyses the level and direction of residential segregation of immigrant groups across the smallest geographies for provinces and municipalities in Spain; third, it examines whether internal migration of immigrants reinforces residential segregation or, contrarily, disperse them towards de-segregation. Empirical evidence suggests the presence of different spatial patterns and processes, which justifies the idea of coexistence of paradigms (assimilation, pluralism and heterolocalism) over time and space.