The Roma Population in Europe: A History of Exclusion By: Bakhtawar Chaudhary

Background: Originally labeled as Gypsies the Roma is the largest minority population in Europe that has been constantly marginalized in the political and social sphere (Hancock, 2002). The cause of their marginalization can be attributed to exclusionary practices that created a separation between the Roma and non-Roma communities(Hancock, 2002; Pym, 2007; Charnon-Deutsch, 2004). Due to this separation a Roma cultural identity emerged (Hancock, 2002; Stauber & Vago, 2007). The Roma cultural identity has been defined and created by outside actors who are making it difficult for the Roma to acquire political power in the realm of cultural identity politics (Hancock, 2002; Matras, 2013; Benhabib, 2002). The advantage of cultural identity politics is the ability to define ones culture in opposition of another culture for political gains eliciting what Seyla Benhabib calls ‘culture wars’ (Benhabib, 2002). These wars occur when groups/organizations demand more from the state to preserve their culture (Benhabib, 2002). This scenario is seen in Europe with the rise of a national European identity in competition with state identity (Uzunova, 2010; Matras, 2013). However, this united European identity excludes the Roma from political dialogues (Veermeersch, 2001; Martinez-Guillem, 2011) . Discrimination against the Roma is at a rise in both Eastern and Western Europe, even though there is a rise in European and state-focused initiatives to combat the problem (Matache, 2014; Scheffel, 2004). To understand the barriers the Roma face I needed to understand the cause(s) of their marginalization and the political progress made. I realized the inability for the Roma to gain political status has to do with their approach of collective rights rather than individual rights. Thus, the Roma need to break away from the political atmosphere of collective rights to individual rights.

Marginalization of the Roma

Cultural Identity Politics

(Seyla Benhabib)

Foreigners

Us vs. Them Mentality

(Julia Kristeva)

Framing of the Roma (Judith Butler)

Factors of Marginalization: Three Philosophical Frameworks

I used three philosophical frameworks to understand the factors that led to the initial, present, and on-going marginalization of the Roma. •  Judith Butler The Frames of War (2009):

•  Frames are politically saturated and formed through operations of power, which establish what can be considered a “being” or a life.

•  A “being” is only recognized through its adherence to certain norms. •  Norms are created through political discourse and create the barriers of the frame. •  Political discourse excluded the Roma and barriers keep the Roma out. •  Inside the frame “beings” are considered grievable and have value. •  “Beings” outside the frame (Roma) are considered “lose-able” and a threat to the

inside.

•  Julia Kristeva Strangers to Ourselves (1991): •  Foreigners are those outside of the frame. However the foreigner “lives within us:

he is the hidden face of our identity” (1). •  Recognizing our own foreignness questions the norms that kept the foreigner out

and decreases the operations of power conducted by the state. •  To keep power, an us vs. them mentality is enforced so the frame is never

questioned.

•  Seyla Benhabib The Claims of Culture (2002): •  The us vs. them mentality perpetuates the cultural divide. •  Culture is seen as static separate entities rather than porous interrelated

boundaries. •  Cultural identity politics is the new political climate that attacks the Roma

culture.

Progress Towards Political Representation

Future Steps The Roma must “break the frame” and transition from a collective image to one that focuses on the individuals within the population.

•  Promote how Roma culture has influenced other cultural aspects: •  Romani music creation and the Romani Cultural Museum in Brno, Czech Republic.

•  Promote a precarious life under the notion of Human Rights: •  Hannah Arendt “the right to have rights.”

•  Circulate sources of leakage: •  Promote individuals such as Sanela, a cultural mediator that identifies with two different Roma identities.

The Roma population has made numerous steps to gain political representation. Many of these steps include the creation of specific agencies and policies focused on the Roma.

1970 Roma/Sinti political movement

with German NGOs

1971 First World Romani Congress and the creation of the International Romani Union

(IRU)

1979 IRU given consultative status

Formation of the Open Society Institute, the

European and Roma Traveller

Forum (ERTF), and the European Rights Center.

1982 Germany Central Council of German Sinti and

Roma.

Sweden National Roma Federation

and Finland permanent

commission with Roma community

representatives.

Romanian model guarantees

parliamentary representation to an ethnic Roma political party.

Hungarian model supports

a Roma Self Government

that is recognized as

an official representation of Roma in the

country.

Commission on Security and

Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) build a contact point for Roma and Sinti Issues (CPRSI) in the

Office for Democratic

Institutions and Human Rights

(ODIHR).

European Commission relies on the European

Roma Information Office (ERIO) and

creates the European

Academic Network on Romani

Studies.

However, these organizations have failed to show the diversity among the Roma and have progressed the mentality of the defining the Roma within one body instead of individually.

Romani Cultural Museum in Brno, Czech Republic Photo taken by Hannah Nayowith’16

The Romani flag at the 2015 Khamoro World Roma Festival in Prague, Czech Republic Photo taken by Bakhtawar Chaudhary ‘15

Works Cited

Benhabib, Seyla. The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2002. Print. Butler, Judith. Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? London: Verso, 2010. Print. Charnon-Deutsch, Lou. The Spanish Gypsy: The History of a European Obsession. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 2004. Print. Hancock, Ian F. We Are the Romani People = Ame Sam E Rromane Dz�ene. Paris, France: Centre De Recherches Tsiganes, 2002. Print. Kristeva, Julia. Strangers to Ourselves. New York: Columbia UP, 1991. Print. Martínez Guillem, Susana. "European identity: Across which lines? Defining Europe through public discourses on the Roma." Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 4.1 (2011): 23-41. Matache, Margareta. "The Deficit of EU Democracies: A New Cycle of Violence Against Roma Population." Human Rights Quarterly 36.2 (2014): 325-348. Matras, Yaron. "Scholarship and the politics of Romani identity: strategic and conceptual issues." European Yearbook of Minority Issues Online 10.1 (2013): 209-247. Scheffel, David Z. "The Roma of central and eastern Europe." Reviews in Anthropology 33.2 (2004): 143-161. Stauber, Roni, and Raphael Vago. The Roma: A Minority in Europe: Historical, Political and Social Perspectives. Budapest: Central European UP, 2007. Print. Uzunova, Iskra. "Roma Integration in Europe: why minority rights are failing."Ariz. J. Int'l & Comp. L. 27 (2010): 283. Vermeersch, Peter. "Roma Identity and Ethnic Mobilisation in Central European Politics." ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops, Grenoble. 2001.