The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970
The historical causes and practices of racial-spatial segregation represent significant research issues for South African human geographers. This paper aims to elucidate the development of urban racial segregation, which occurred in Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial heart and its largest city....
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2025-03-01
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| Series: | Modern Geográfia |
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| Online Access: | https://moderngeografia.eu/en/the-inhospitable-city-historical-racial-segregation-in-johannesburg-c-1890-1970-2/ |
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| author | Rogerson, Christian M. |
| author_facet | Rogerson, Christian M. |
| author_sort | Rogerson, Christian M. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The historical causes and practices of racial-spatial segregation represent significant research issues for South African human geographers. This paper aims to elucidate the development of urban racial segregation, which occurred in Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial heart and its largest city. Arguably, the roots of urban racial segregation have an extended history that pre-dates the implementation of apartheid planning in the post-1948 period. This article contributes a perspective from historical geography and incorporates the mapping out of the shifting spatial zones for African settlement in Johannesburg. It demonstrates that segregation has been evolving over an extended period of time in South Africa’s largest city. For its African residents Johannesburg has been an inhospitable urban environment as its marginalized populations have been progressively excised from spaces close to the commercial heart of the city. The spatial outcome of the decades-long clearances of spaces of African settlement has been the establishment and expansion of the townships of Soweto as the most visible manifestation of racial urban segregation, which was achieved finally in the period of high apartheid. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa3890f56d9a4de7a9a924788d4bb0e8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2062-1655 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Publikon |
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| series | Modern Geográfia |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa3890f56d9a4de7a9a924788d4bb0e82025-08-20T02:46:51ZengPublikonModern Geográfia2062-16552025-03-012018310610.15170/MG.2025.20.01.05The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970Rogerson, Christian M.0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1306-8867University of Johannesburg, College of Business and Economics, School of Tourism & HospitalityThe historical causes and practices of racial-spatial segregation represent significant research issues for South African human geographers. This paper aims to elucidate the development of urban racial segregation, which occurred in Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial heart and its largest city. Arguably, the roots of urban racial segregation have an extended history that pre-dates the implementation of apartheid planning in the post-1948 period. This article contributes a perspective from historical geography and incorporates the mapping out of the shifting spatial zones for African settlement in Johannesburg. It demonstrates that segregation has been evolving over an extended period of time in South Africa’s largest city. For its African residents Johannesburg has been an inhospitable urban environment as its marginalized populations have been progressively excised from spaces close to the commercial heart of the city. The spatial outcome of the decades-long clearances of spaces of African settlement has been the establishment and expansion of the townships of Soweto as the most visible manifestation of racial urban segregation, which was achieved finally in the period of high apartheid.https://moderngeografia.eu/en/the-inhospitable-city-historical-racial-segregation-in-johannesburg-c-1890-1970-2/historical geographyracial segregationinhospitable cityapartheidjohannesburg |
| spellingShingle | Rogerson, Christian M. The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970 Modern Geográfia historical geography racial segregation inhospitable city apartheid johannesburg |
| title | The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970 |
| title_full | The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970 |
| title_fullStr | The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970 |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970 |
| title_short | The Inhospitable City: Historical Racial Segregation in Johannesburg c. 1890–1970 |
| title_sort | inhospitable city historical racial segregation in johannesburg c 1890 1970 |
| topic | historical geography racial segregation inhospitable city apartheid johannesburg |
| url | https://moderngeografia.eu/en/the-inhospitable-city-historical-racial-segregation-in-johannesburg-c-1890-1970-2/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rogersonchristianm theinhospitablecityhistoricalracialsegregationinjohannesburgc18901970 AT rogersonchristianm inhospitablecityhistoricalracialsegregationinjohannesburgc18901970 |