Zachos, D. (2018, April 30). How Europe Gets Roma Culture And
Identity
Wrong.
Social
Europe.
Retrieved
from
https://www.socialeurope.eu/roma-culture-and-identity
How Europe Gets Roma Culture And Identity Wrong
by Dimitris Zachos on 30 April 2018
661SHARES
Dimitris Zachos
There are several different social groups known as Roma which share
common historical and cultural elements, formerly called Gypsies,
Tzigane, Zingari, Gitanes, Zigeuner, Bohemians and Gitanos. According
to the prevailing approach, based mainly on linguistic – rather than
historical – data, Roma groups left India approximately a thousand
years ago and dispersed throughout Europe and the Americas.
In the period following the birth of modern nation-states, Roma
individuals and groups did not possess the characteristics that most of
the newly-born western countries wished to portray as key elements of
their national identity. As a result, Roma came to be considered at best
exotic deniers of modern civilization and at worst dirty, lazy social
parasites.
These popular narratives of Roma were depicted in the travelogues and
reports from the tours of various European ethnographers and
amateur observers of social life. Later, Roma became the “subject” of
research carried out by anthropologists, linguists and ethnographers of
music and dance, who were fascinated by these primitive people living
in the heart of Europe and attempted to record Roma customs,
traditions and languages. These folkloric elements of “Romani culture”
were taken up by proponents of late 18th and early 19th century
nationalist ideology in order to give birth to the idea of a Roma Nation.
Roma “Nation”
The field of Romani Studies came directly out of this research tradition.
As a number of theorists of Romani studies have supported and still
support the idea of a Roma Nation, it was and is necessary to construct
– as with any other ethnogenesis – a Romani national mythology and
set of symbols. Specifically, these theorists needed to give plausible
answers to two questions:
1. How did various scattered Roma groups who lived for such a long
period of time separated from one another manage to preserve
common cultural elements (language, customs, traditions)? And;
2. On the basis of what scientific data can it be said that Roma have
common roots?
In seeking to achieve this goal, scholars and academics from many
different countries have carried out extensive research, the aim of
which was to confirm the (questionable) Roma origins in India and the
Roma peoples’ (supposed) common cultural identity.
Focusing almost exclusively on culture, a number of Romani Studies
theorists and researchers seem to ignore or underestimate the
economic and political processes and power relations that produce
difference. They seem to adopt an approach according to which
ethnicity/nationality is the critical social division and an essential
element in people’s life that remains constant independent of time and
place.
Us And Them
This strain of Romani Studies only helps to maintain or even enhance
the distance between “Romani culture” and Gaje (non – Roma) culture
by consolidating the “Us and Them” approach. This is accomplished by
downplaying the internal social differentiations that exist among those
belonging to “Us” and exaggerating those (supposed) differences (we
have) with the others (“Them”).
Therefore, it is not at all strange that Roma groups are attributed with
common characteristics and attitudes that have been largely vilified.
Also, it is entirely plausible that some misconceptions concerning Roma
groups still proliferate today, even among researchers, politicians and
journalists seeking to improve Roma groups’ living conditions. Under
such misconceptions, Roma are a nomadic people; a cohesive,
homogenous group; they are thought to get involved in politics only to
serve their own petty interests and therefore always vote for the
leading parties; in this view as well, education is not seen as compatible
with Romani culture and schools are thought of as institutions alien to
the Roma.
These perceptions of the Roma, to a greater or lesser extent, continue
to influence policies developed by international organizations. For
example, the European Union (EU) considers Roma as the biggest
ethnic minority in Europe. Does this mean that the EU has adopted a
“jus sanguinis” approach? In other words, does the EU accept the idea
that a nation is made up of individuals and groups linked together by
blood ties? Even if we assume that the EU is purposefully using the term
“minority” rather than the terms “ethnicity” and “nationality” as a way
of identifying social identity, then we still end up excluding Roma from
the specific identity of the countries in which they live. This does not
help people who have deep historical roots in the places they live
achieve full integration into local society. This is why most Roma in
Greece, for example, refuse to take part in various international Roma
forums. They do not wish to admit that they are not Greeks!
In my view, there is no single Roma culture and various Roma groups’
cultures are not so different from others. What Roma do have in
common is a history of being victims of prejudice, discrimination and
racism because of their distinctive physical and cultural elements which
they still face to this day. In order to address these issues, brave social
inclusion policies will be needed in key areas such as work, housing,
education and health care. Furthermore, it will be necessary for
international organizations as well as nation–states to assist those with
key roles in social life (teachers, police officers and public
administration) gain a better knowledge of the issues surrounding
social inequality, social differentiation and human rights. Then they will
be able to contribute substantially to Roma groups’ integration into
broader society, as well as that of other social groups perceived as
“different”, and this will ultimately lead to a better, more unified
society.
About Dimitris Zachos
Dimitris Zachos is Assistant Professor of Pedagogy – Intercultural
Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Greece. He has
worked as a teacher, Principal and School Counsellor in primary
education.