the headlines june 2010

Written by La Rédaction

Each month, Urba-Rom offers its "Front Page" with an article or a communication, most often related to an issue of the moment, in order to better disseminate recent research, while opening the debate.

This month, the editorial proposes the article written by J. Ladanyi and I. Szeleny called "Historical variations in inter-ethnic relations: Toward a Social History of Rome in Csenyéte." and published in 2003 by the Romani Studies, that will be find here : http://www.marston.co.uk/RSPP/LUPRSV013P01A00001.pdf

Against the image often accepted of an "always marginalized minority", the analysis focus on spatial and social situation of Gypsy families from the mid 19th to early 2000s. It also reveals the variation of their status within (and margins) of a Hungarian village. From some relatively well-integrated houses in 1850 to the establishment of an ethnically homogeneous ghetto in the 1970s, the authors show that there is no "linear trend", but different cycles of integration and relegation, linked to socio-economic mutations. The most violent episode of social segregation undoubtedly emerged following the collapse of the socialist system, during the first decade of the "economic transition". "Gypsies begin to be considered as a useless social group, dependent on welfare and unable to contribute to the community", write the authors.

The second part of the article, perhaps more debatable, analyses the "brake" to improve the current situation of the families in the village. According to the authors, the processes of social and economic exclusion would lead to a "culture of poverty", characterized by the use of the "assistance", the informal economy and the "egalitarianism". This "culture of poverty" is not conducive to individual initiatives and the development of programs of "social integration".

Would the authors have interpreted differently the failures of these experiments if, before seeing the Roma as a “community", they were more nuanced in their look, taking into account individual and family strategies? More fundamentally, the close relationship that the authors themselves establish between the situation of these families and the socio-economic context led to question the relevance of specific collective actions. In other words, if the difficulties faced today by many "Gypsies" are mainly determined by the overall economic and social developments, what is the meaning to develop special programs? If not to prove, at the end of their "failure", that Gypsies are themselves "responsible for their marginality"...

Urba-Rom life June 2010

Written by Grégoire Cousin

Urba-Rom workshops began last month with a first day planned by Martin Olivera at the Laboratoire d’anthropologie urbaine (Paris). This event was entitled  “Epistemology of the object so-called Roma/Gypsies”. Discussions deal with the communications of two anthropologists (Stefania Pontrandolfo, Martin Olivera) and an historian (Massimo Aresu). Patrick Williams was the moderator. Synthesis  and records  will be soon on our site. Another workshop is planned in September about the “categorization of the groups so-called Roma/Gypsies”. It’s a topical question according the discussions in course at the top of the French State, about the” thorny issue of nomadic offenders, originating in Eastern Europe and Romania in particular” (Le Figaro, 12/06/2010). How react  the researchers and, more broadly, the people who are interested in the policies for Roma/Gypsies ?

Call for Papers, The « Roma Issue » in Europe Today. Contentious Politics and the Formation of a So-Called “Public Problem”.International Conference, Tours, mars 2011

Written by Grégoire Cousin

ORGANIZATION
UMR 6173 CITERES ,CNRS-Université François-Rabelais
EA 2110 GERCIE,UFR de Droit, Economie et sciences sociales, Université François-Rabelais

Scientific coordination:
Olivier Legros, Assistant Professor, University of Tours, CITERES
Jean Rossetto, Professor, University of Tours, GERCIE

Scientific Committee:
Loïc Blondiaux (Professor, Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne), Catherine Coquio (Professor, University of Poitiers), Jean-Pierre Massias (Professor, University of Pau), Patrice Melé (Professor, University of Tours), Judith Okely (Professor, University of Hull), Tommaso Vitale (Assistant Professor, University of Milano-Bicocca

BACKGROUND
In Central Europe as well as in the Balkans, the Roma have seen their life conditions deeply transformed in the nineties by the break up of the socialist system and during the last decade by the enlargement of EU. The precariousness and the marginalization of a lot of families, the development of mobility towards Western Europe, where migrants often live at the margins of the cities, as well as the access to European citizenship are parts of these effective changes. The precariousness of Roma groups is often considered “public problem” as defined by Gusfield: “a state of fact which constitutes itself a stake of reflection and protest and a target for public policies”. On one hand the public discourse on Roma has increased. Institutions, non profit organizations, academicians and common citizens talk about them. On the other hand public authorities have enacted national or local policies which oscillate between rejection and inclusion.

GOALS
This conference aims to analyze the conditions of development of the “Roma issue” in Europe today. Better to talk about “Roma issues” because, as other public problems, they are situated social constructions - e.g created by discourse, law and policy – that ask to be compared in a historical perspective. Moreover, a multidisciplinary approach is urgent because of the numerous facets of the “Roma issue(s)”. That’s the reason why we have decided, for this first conference of the Urba-Rom European Network, to bring together anthropological, juridical, geographical, sociological and historical approaches. Proposals could be part of the following three themes.

Read more: Call for Papers, The « Roma Issue » in Europe Today. Contentious Politics and the Formation of a So-Called “Public Problem”.International Conference, Tours, mars 2011