The Power of Group Stigmatization: Wealthy Roma, Urban Space and Strategies of Defence in Post‐socialist Romania

Abstract

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‘Get out of Traian Square!’: Roma Stigmatization as a Mobilizing Tool for the Far Right in Timişoara, Romania

“…As a result, wealthy Roma are invariably stigmatized, as their spatiality reinforces ghettoization and further emphasizes stigma and separation. In addition, non‐Roma become defensive when wealthy Roma live in central‐area neighbourhoods, which also leads to stigma (see Creţan and Powell, ). The building of large houses with turrets is part of their ‘we‐image’, or identification.…”

“…A discourse of ‘Gypsy deviance’ emerged (see Picker and Roccheggiani, ), stigmatizing Roma communities as hotbeds of prostitution and begging. But although nationalist leaders have repeatedly emphasized these issues to attract voters and sympathizers (Creţan and Powell, ), they remain anchored in localized realities.…”

“…Romania is one country in which far right groups and attitudes have flourished. Politicians such as Vadim Tudor were prominent during the early transition period, but subsequently faded from view as the country joined the EU (Creţan and Turnock, ; Creţan and Powell, ). Pressure from the EU to adopt certain practices has led to growing resentment in a number of areas as the benefits of membership were muted by the global financial crisis (Beissinger and Sasse, ).…”

“…Vilification and stigmatization of the Roma is one issue that animates the group, as members of the ND perceive the rights of native Romanians to have been sacrificed in favour of special treatment of the Roma and other minorities. Such perceptions and associated patterns of stigmatization are common across Eastern (and Western) Europe (Powell, ; Creţan and Powell, ; Málovics et al ., ).…”

“…The aims of this article are, first, to examine the emergence of the ND and its use of Roma stigmatization and, secondly, to consider the ways in which extreme views are normalized by appealing to people's beliefs and perceptions. By connecting work on populism and nationalism (Mudde, ; ; Fox and Vermeersch, ) with literature on Roma in Europe (Hockenos, ; Barany, ; Powell, ; Powell and Lever, ; Creţan and Powell, ) we link our Timişoara research to broader debates around urban mobilization of radical right groups. In the article we draw on Fox and Vermeersch's () notion of backdoor nationalism to consider the way in which such ideas circulate and are mobilized by far right actors to support their claims.…”