Are they nomads, travellers or Roma? An analysis of the multiple effects of naming assemblages

Abstract

What is the difference between the terms 'Roma', 'gypsies', 'nomads' and 'Travellers'? These are a few of the names that are used to refer to the Roma minority in scholarly research, political speeches and the media. Most of the Romani studies literature on Roma labels and the state's categorisation underscores how these often derogatory denominations reflect the widespread stigmatisation of these people and, in turn, perpetuate regimes of exclusion and segregation. However, this literature implicitly conceives of language as purely functional to exclusion, overlooking the ways in which the construction and use of these labels have also created the conditions for the emergence of practices of resistance. This limitation is mainly due to the fact that these works follow a Foucauldian approach, which tends to overemphasise the importance of dominant discourses subjecting the individual, and to downplay the presence of generative and creative practices. I suggest integrating this approach with the notion of 'assemblage' as developed by Deleuze and Guattari, which entails both ordering and territorialising dynamics together with destabilising moves. By adopting this lens, the paper discusses the effects of two different Roma naming assemblages: on the one hand, the glossary published by the Council of Europe (CoE) that carefully defines and differentiates all the terms used for the Roma, and, on the other, the French and Italian governments' discourses that ambiguously lump together all these different denominations. Although at first sight it may appear that the latter bolsters discriminatory and segregating policies, while the former supports more inclusionary measures, by drawing on policydocuments analysis and in-depth interviews with pro-Roma advocacy group members, I show that both these naming assemblages actually produce exclusionary as well as resisting effects.

Internationalisation and migrant academics: the hidden narratives of mobility

“…This Roma academic's research interests contribute to establishing hermeneutical justice as actual and perceived nomadism and de-territorialisation have historically excluded Roma communities from opportunities for education and knowledge production (Maestri 2017). For Roma academics in our study, international mobility was seen as an epistemic as well as a social opportunity.…”

Revitalising the uncanny: Challenging inertia in the struggle against forced evictions

“…To a certain extent that body is still an evicted Roma (familiar); but to another, it is also organised and politically charged (strange): the overall effect is the uncanny. It is thanks to the challenge that is brought to the original repression that the uncanny emerges: 6 See Maestri (2016) for the analysis of a partially similar transition in the case of Italy.…”

Framing “The Gypsy Problem”: Populist Electoral Use of Romaphobia in Italy (2014–2019)

“…Both the camps and the political discourse of the "state of exception" make Roma communities visible in mass media mostly within the narration of the difficulties shown by public administrations in managing their presence on the territory and/or related to crime (Pasta and Vitale 2017;Giorgi and Vitale 2017;Maestri 2017;Tremlett et al 2017).…”