Roma within Obstructing and Transformative Spaces

László Fosztó,Stefánia Toma

doi:10.17356/ieejsp.v4i3.396

Abstract

The aim of our article is to inquire into the interconnectedness of local social context, mobility processes and social transformations. We argue that migratory patterns of the local Roma population in ethnically mixed communities are shaped by the degree and modes of maintenance of social distance between the Roma and local majority. While social distance can shape the ways migrant networks develop, it also influences the way remittances are invested at home. The analysis focuses on the comparison of two rural communities from Transylvania where we carried out community studies and a household survey which also included attitude questions related to ethnic groups. Our study revealed that the most visible aspect of the local separation is the housing segregation. While this is present in both cases, in one of the villages Roma use their upward mobility to challenge social segregation and to reduce physical distance (i.e. moving inside the village). Here in spite of physical closeness social distance between the majority and Roma remains high. In the other locality the importance of social ties increase during migration and social distance is reduced, while the ethnic groups maintain their relative residential separation.

Highlights

The recent migration of Romanian Roma within the EU has attracted heightened public and scholarly attention
The aim of our article is to inquire into the interconnectedness of the local social context, mobility processes, and the social transformation of localities with a significant Roma population involved in international mobility
We focus on the concept of social distance, which has recently been neglected in the migration literature

Summary

Introduction

The recent migration of Romanian Roma within the EU has attracted heightened public and scholarly attention. The aim of our article is to inquire into the interconnectedness of the local social context, mobility processes, and the social transformation of localities with a significant Roma population involved in international mobility To address this issue, we focus on the concept of social distance, which has recently been neglected in the migration literature. Even though there is a large body of research dedicated to examine how racial/ethnic differences are maintained due to social distance among immigrants in destination countries and neighborhoods (Wilson and Portes, 1980; Portes, 1984), few studies discuss the effects of migration with a focus on segmented home communities, and even less on ethnically mixed communities in the light of social distance. The dynamic relationship between these processes influences the direction and extent of local social transformations

These are

Return to ‘the local’

The localities and the methodology

Findings

Social distance as a way of understanding prejudice