Ausgegrenzte

Ausgegrenzte is a German adjective derived from the verb ausgrenzen, which means to exclude or ostracize. In both everyday language and academic writing, the form ausgegrenzte (and its inflected variants) describes persons or groups that are kept from full participation in social, economic, or political life. The term can also function as a nominalized noun, die Ausgegrenzten, referring to people who are excluded or marginalized as a collective.

Etymology and grammar: The word comes from the prefix aus- plus grenze(n) (to border or limit). The standard past participle is ausgegrenzt, but as an attributive adjective it takes inflection endings according to gender, number, and case, yielding forms such as eine ausgegrenzte Gruppe (feminine singular) or die ausgegrenzten Gruppen (plural). As a noun, Ausgegrenzte or Ausgegrenzte Gruppen can be used in context, often with capitalization.

Usage and context: In sociology, political science and cultural studies, ausgegrenzte describes people or groups with restricted or denied access to resources and participation—education, employment, housing, or political influence. It is closely tied to concepts like soziale Ausgrenzung (social exclusion), Marginalisierung and Diskriminierung. The term appears in discussions of welfare, labor markets, migration, disability, and minority rights, where structural processes are emphasized over individual failings.

Considerations: The term highlights social processes and may carry stigma if used imprecisely. Scholars differentiate formal exclusion (legal or institutional barriers) from informal exclusion (social or cultural barriers), while also noting variations across contexts and languages.

See also: soziale Ausgrenzung; Ausgrenzung; Marginalisierung; Diskriminierung.