Poverty, Marginalisation, Social Exclusion

Abstract

The concept of 'social exclusion' has replaced, both in the discourse of European social science and the discourse of European social policy, an earlier concept of 'poverty'. This shift conveys a notion of poverty that involves not only the problem of income inequalities and of deprivation but also points out barriers to the participation of individuals and social groups affected by poverty in the political, social and cultural life of society. The article refers to the genesis of the content of the term 'social exclusion', its current usage and relation to a range of social processes (exclusion from securities and exposure to risks - including environmental risks, exclusion from the labour market, exclusion from mobility paths, etc.). It also deals with the question of social exclusion in relation to real and social space. It refers to a discussion about the relationship between social exclusion and citizenship and a discussion about social exclusion of ethnic and social groups. Finally, the article touches upon basic challenges to social science and social policy associated with the use of this term.