Abstract
In Ireland, negative stereotypes of the Traveller population have long been a part of society. The beliefs that surround this minority group may not be based in fact, yet negative views persist such that Travellers find themselves excluded from mainstream society. The language used in discourse plays a critical role in the way Travellers are represented. This study analyses the discourse in the public policy regarding Travellers in the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS) 2017–2021. This study performs a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the policy with the overall aims of showing signs of the power imbalance through the use of language and revealing the discourses used by elite actors to retain power and sustain existing social relations. The key findings show that Travellers are represented as a homogenous group that exists outside of society. They have no control over how their social identity is constructed. The results show that the constructions of negative stereotypes are intertextually linked to previous policies, and the current policy portrays them in the role of passive patients, not powerful actors. The discursive practice creates polarity between the “settled” population and the “Travellers”, who are implicitly blamed by the state for their disadvantages. Through the policy, the government disseminates expert knowledge, which legitimises the inequality and supports this objective “truth”. This dominant discourse, which manifests in wider social practice, can facilitate racism and social exclusion. This study highlights the need for Irish society to change the narrative to support an equitable representation of Travellers.
Highlights
Irish Travellers are an indigenous ethnic minority, identified by themselves and others as a distinct group that shares a history, culture, language, customs and traditions, values and beliefs [1]; they numbered 30,987 people in the 2016 census of the Republic of Ireland, representing 0.7% of the population [2]
The Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care acknowledged that poverty, poor housing and socioeconomic factors as well as the prejudice and discrimination endured all contribute to high levels of mental illness in the Travelling community
Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a research tool that looks at the ways that text and talk are used to assert power within a social and political context [19] (p. 63)
Summary
Irish Travellers are an indigenous ethnic minority, identified by themselves and others as a distinct group that shares a history, culture, language, customs and traditions, values and beliefs [1]; they numbered 30,987 people in the 2016 census of the Republic of Ireland, representing 0.7% of the population [2]. Irish Travellers experience a very high level of discrimination that inhibits participation in terms of education, employment and health and facilitates social exclusion [3]. Travellers have a shorter life expectancy than the general Irish population [2]. The life expectancy for Irish men nationally in 2008 was. Among Travellers, 19.2% are unable to work due to disability; the corresponding national rate is 13.5% [5]. The Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care acknowledged that poverty, poor housing and socioeconomic factors as well as the prejudice and discrimination endured all contribute to high levels of mental illness in the Travelling community. The suicide rate among Travellers (11%) is six times the national average [6]
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