Final answer:
Segregation results from either de jure segregation (enforced by law) or de facto segregation (due to social practices and economic structures). Notable examples include apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow laws in the United States. Despite legal efforts to end segregation, such as Brown v. Board of Education, de facto segregation persists in society.
Step-by-step explanation:
Segregation is the physical separation of two groups in aspects such as residence, workplace, and social functions. It can stem from de jure segregation (enforced by law) or de facto segregation (occurs due to other factors). The apartheid in South Africa is an example of de jure segregation, where laws explicitly mandated the separation of races, impacting civil rights and social equality. In contrast, in the United States, after the Civil War, the Jim Crow laws led to de jure segregation until court cases like Brown v. Board of Education and legislation such as the Civil Rights Act aimed to dismantle it. However, de facto segregation persisted through social practices and economic circumstances, and is measured using segregation indices sociologists employ.
De jure segregation in South Africa categorized people into racial groups and permeated various aspects of life, leading to significant social inequality. In the United States, segregation was also legally enforced through Jim Crow laws, upholding 'separate but equal' facilities, which were far from equal in reality. The Supreme Court's Plessy v. Ferguson case supported this separation, while Brown v. Board of Education challenged it. Despite legal efforts, de facto segregation continues to exist and evolves through non-legal social customs and economic structures, affecting the distribution of various racial and ethnic groups within communities, as seen in the New York metropolitan area.