"We are Gypsies, not Roma!" Ethnic Identity Constructions and Ethnic Stereotypes – an example from a Gypsy Community in Central Romania
"We are Gypsies, not Roma!" Ethnic Identity Constructions and Ethnic Stereotypes – an example from a Gypsy Community in Central Romania

Author(s): Elena Marin
Subject(s): Inter-Ethnic Relations, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Politics and Identity, Identity of Collectives
Published by: ISPMN Institutul pentru Studierea Problemelor Minorităţilor Naţionale
Keywords: ethnicity; ethnic identity; ethnic stereotypes; Gypsies; Gadje;
Summary/Abstract: The author of this paper proposes to open a discussion about the terms 'Gypsy' and 'Roma'. The analysis follows the idea that the terms as they are mostly used today in several fields, have a simplifying and homogenizing tendency. Based on a two-month research in a Gypsy community in the Brasov area the author argues that the use of the terms in everyday life varies greatly and their meaning depends on the person and on the situation. The definitions offered by the interviewees rarely correspond to the use of the terms in political and official discourses. Interviews with Gadje and Gypsies evealed the fact that there is a great complexity behind these terms. The paper demonstrates the role of stereotypes and prejudices in defining ethnicity and the everyday strategies of fighting against these stereotypes are also presented.

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