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Growing Up in Amsterdam: Differentiation and Segregation in Children's Daily Lives

Amsterdam Study Centre for the Metropolitan Environment, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. c.j.m.karsten{at}frw.uva.nl

So far, children have not gained much attention in the field of segregation studies. In the research reported here, the notion of segregation is related children's daily life paths in the public domain. Given the local dimension of children's everyday lives and the growing number of 'black' and 'white' schools, it is apparent that children deserve a higher place on the agenda of segregation studies. Drawing on research carried out in five different Amsterdam neighbourhoods, this paper addresses children's time-space behaviour—after-school time. The central question is whether differentiation and segregation form vital dimensions in Amsterdam childhoods. Special attention has been given to children's orientation towards the public domain, their membership of leisure clubs and their freedom of movement. Results show that differences among children growing up in Amsterdam are big. At first sight, there seems to be a sharp divide between Amsterdam children with Dutch parents and Amsterdam children with a Turkish/ Moroccan or Surinamese/Antillean background. However, incorporating gender and class into the analyses, the picture becomes less clear. Ethnicity is a far more complex and dynamic concept than is sometimes argued. However, on the geographical scale of the neighbourhood, we must conclude that in three out of the five studied areas the contours of segregated childhoods are evidently clear. The material presented in this paper is based on observational studies and interviews in public playgrounds and a survey with 454 schoolchildren (7-12 years of age) and 214 parents.

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