The relationship of core and periphery and its related pairs, inclusion and exclusion,
centre and margin, can be conceptualized in many different ways and shown to operate
in many settings, affecting individuals, communities, or whole populations, as the
articles in this section illustrate.
Social and political exclusion are so often symbolized through, realized in and
reinforced by, spatial segregation. This is poignantly illustrated in Esme Cleall’s article,
Silencing deafness, which describes the increased institutionalization of people with