DECONSTRUCTION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF SELF IDENTITY: CONTEMPORARY FINNISH ROMA IN INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
DECONSTRUCTION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF SELF IDENTITY: CONTEMPORARY FINNISH ROMA IN INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the current state of Finnish Roma group identity. The Roma people constitute a pan-European minority and have been living for centuries in almost all European countries. The history of Roma is a part of European history, and Roma culture is part of European culture. The general perception is, however, that Roma are still strangers in society. As “others”, they were forced to develop a special way of interaction with members of the majority population. The way involved (besides other changes) modifications of self identity, occurring in various forms and to a different degree, depending on the individual and the group. The case of Finnish Roma constitutes an example of deconstructing and reconstructing self identity in the complex process where the group’s place in the society has to be constantly negotiated.

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