Decoding Segregation: Navigating a century of segregation research across disciplines and introducing a bottom-up ontology

TL;DR

This paper systematically analyzes over a century of segregation research across disciplines, revealing its diversification, evolution, and geographical distribution, and introduces a bottom-up ontology to organize this complex knowledge landscape.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive bottom-up ontology of segregation, synthesizing diverse forms and disciplinary insights into a structured semantic framework.

Findings

Exponential growth and diversification of segregation forms

Hierarchical and cluster-based evolution of the field

Geographical and temporal distribution patterns

Abstract

Segregation is a widely recognised phenomenon with profound implications for societies worldwide. From political science and gender studies to anthropology and urban studies, it has garnered considerable attention across numerous scientific fields due to its multifaceted nature. However, what makes segregation such a far-reaching phenomenon? In fact, how many forms of segregation exist? Have different disciplines engaged in segregation research uncovered all its facets? This article systematically explores the landscape of segregation research spanning over a century. We analyzed 10,754 documents from the Scopus database to unveil the dynamics of the discovery of segregation forms through several findings. We identify (1) the exponential growth and increasing diversification of segregation forms, driven by combinatorial and exploratory work and increasing transdisciplinarity and intersectionality in research; (2) the evolution and structure of the field in hierarchies and clusters of segregation forms, revealing trends, persistence, and shifts over time; (3) the timing and geographical distribution of first publications on segregation forms, along with contextual variations across world regions and countries; (4) path dependencies in the historical and geographical shaping of segregation research; and (5) the structure of knowledge production. Aiming to contribute semantic organization to an increasingly complex field, we explore these findings to introduce a bottom-up ontology of segregation, marking the first comprehensive effort of its kind.