This article discusses youth marginalization and the qualitative process of ghettoization in a disadvantaged area of Madrid. This ethnographic study examines the role of intermediary structures (family, ethnic community and civil associations) on the life trajectories taken by young people who have been excluded from the education system. The results of this research show that the protective effects of these structures depend on the quality of their social capital. This case study also suggests that this kind of capital arises from a specific collaboration between ethnic, religious and secular organizations in which women play a decisive role. © 2017, El Colegio de la Frontiera Norte. All rights reserved.

Urban segregation Spain Ethnic communities second generation Social capital

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