Reframing the Roma: EU Initiatives and the Politics of Reinterpretation

Discourses of Roma Anti-Discrimination in Reports on Human Rights Violations

“…Similar to the individual rights approach is the cultural minority perspective (see below), which is criticized for overemphasizing recognition and commemoration of the Roma group while underemphasizing the socio-economical character of their deprivation (McGarry, 2011;Rövid, 2011;Tremlett, 2009b;Van Baar, 2008;Vermeersch, 2012). This shared neglect of socio-economic factors in the individual rights and recognition approaches is shown on the right hand side of Figure 1.…”

“…First, the fight for recognition of Roma brought forth an essentializing dynamic, representing Roma as a homogeneous minority (Hemelsoet, 2013;IgnatoiuSora, 2011;McGarry, 2011;Tremlett, 2009a;Van Baar, 2008;Vermeersch, 2012). Consequently, although it is clear that there are vast differences between Roma groups, they are neglected.…”

“…Holding the identity of an excluded European minority reconfirms the outsider character of the group and reinforces the boundary which separates them from the integrated mainstream group (Gay y Blasco, 2008;Goodwin, 2009;Hemelsoet, 2013;McGarry, 2011;Van Baar, 2008;Vermeersch, 2012). Although this confirmation of exclusion is not necessarily deliberately generated, it can be employed by rightist and racist groups to emphasize the different character of the Roma and to blame them for creating their own problems.…”

“…From the 1990s onwards, European institutions and Romani civil society have argued that Roma and Gypsy people can be seen as a European minority "par excellence" (Van Baar, 2008;Vermeersch, 2012). Having no established connection with a kin state which will lobby and advocate on their behalf, it is claimed that Roma need to rely on European institutions and agreements to get their rights acknowledged.…”

Cultural Institutions as a Combat Sport. Reflections on the European Roma Institute

“…In other words, in an enlarged European Union in which Roma from CEE countries have been the great losers of the nineties' transition to a market economy (Kovats, 2012;Sigona, 2011;Vermeersch, 2012) how can the risk of displacement (in which identity politics tend to displace struggles for redistribution), reification (the essentialization of a culture or a minority) and misframing (the political dimension of misrepresentation) be dealt with and overcome? (Fraser, 2000(Fraser, , p. 108, 2005 How does a European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture affect other policies addressed to the same minority, and what are the strengths and liabilities of this project?…”