ABSTRACT: The spatial distribution of poverty is historically uneven and concentrates in particular neighbourhoods that become easily identified as disadvantaged, and frequently subjected to stigmatisation. Despite some familiarity in the ways in which stigmatised neighbourhoods may be experienced by insiders or recognised by outsiders, the processes through which contemporary experiences of stigmatisation are being reworked within the conditions of post-industrial societies. It is critical to understand how contemporary processes of stigmatisation are embedded in changing economic and social circumstances and the implications of this for the opportunities and constraints that are presented to the residents of such neighbourhoods. Loic Wacquant argues that macro economic, political, social and spatial dynamics are transforming collective and individual experiences of poverty and disadvantage. This paper is largely concerned with the implications of the spatial dynamic that is serving to concentrate and intensify the stigmatisation of poverty. The resulting demonisation of disadvantaged neighbourhoods and suburbs can unfairly represent the reality of everyday life for residents but its consequences are likely to be far-reaching. The stigmatisation of neighbourhoods undermines the self-confidence of residents, limits the possibilities for collective action and cements conditions that generate disadvantage and social exclusion. This paper explores these issues by exploring links between theoretical, experiential and outsider accounts. Insider accounts are taken from interview data collected from residents living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and ‘outsider’ accounts have been collected from newspaper and other sources.