What is it about?
This article explores the neglected experiences of wealthy Roma within urban spaces in Romania. The analysis exposes the way in which Roma are vehemently stigmatized regardless of their economic position or housing circumstances and highlights deep underlying sentiments towards them within Romanian society. We critique Wacquant's concept of territorial stigmatization by applying it to wealthy groups outwith typical areas of relegation (for example, Roma ghettos) within the specific urban context of post‐socialist Romania. While our analysis points to the internalization of stigma, we also identify distinct defensive strategies wealthy Roma employ to counter and avoid stigmatization.
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Why is it important?
This research is important in terms of its contribution to an understanding of the complex dynamics of marginalization and stigmatization of wealthy Roma households.
Perspectives
We suggest that a focus on the neglected spaces of wealthy Roma groups can facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the distinct urban power relations that shape Roma stigmatization, reveal how this long‐term process has recently been accentuated within Europe alongside a more overt populist and anti‐Roma political agenda, and contribute to the development and refinement of Wacquant's thesis.
Dr Remus Cretan
west university of Timisoara
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Power of Group Stigmatization: Wealthy Roma, Urban Space and Strategies of Defence in Post-socialist Romania, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, April 2018, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.12626.
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