Roma, Race and Socially Engaged Television on the Fringes of Europe

Abstract

This article contributes to the work of scholars of Eastern Europe who insist on the relevance of race and racism to the region. The text analyzes a contemporary Bulgarian documentary TV series, called Nichia Zemia (No Man’s Land) and its representation of Roma minorities. The study traces the connections between rising inequalities, poverty, and demographic change that accompany post-socialist neoliberalism and the portrayals of Roma as an external Other, criminals and a demographic threat. The text shows the limits of the concept of ethnicity and highlights the need for a systematic analysis of the role media play in the proliferation of racism in this part of the world.