IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/socinc/v3y2015i5p148-160.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Questioning the Policy Framing of Roma in Ghent, Belgium: Some Implications of Taking an Insider Perspective Seriously

Author

Listed:
  • Elias Hemelsoet

    (Social Welfare Studies Department, Ghent University, Belgium)

  • Pauwel Van Pelt

    (Social Welfare Studies Department, Ghent University, Belgium)

Abstract

The recent flow of Roma immigrants to Western Europe has caused a lot of societal and political discussion. Initiatives and policy measures are introduced at the European and national or local level in order to deal with this situation. This article explores to what extent experiences and self-perceptions of Roma immigrants in Western Europe correspond with the constructed discourse in terms of “Roma inclusion”. In policy practices, there seems to be a tension between a willingness to strengthen the particular identity of Roma on the one hand (“targeting”), and a desire to fit those people into mainstream society on the other hand (“mainstreaming”). Based on a case study in the city of Ghent (Belgium) with a small sample of in-depth interviews, the authors explore what an insider perspective may add to the construction of policy. Conclusions relate to the experienced gap with mainstream society, the identification with and definition of the “Roma” concept as well as intergenerational differences. Finally, the argument is taken a step further, and it is wondered how an insider perspective may also question policy. By relating policy conceptualisations of Roma to (self) identification processes, suggestions are made to redefine the meaning of inclusion.

Suggested Citation

  • Elias Hemelsoet & Pauwel Van Pelt, 2015. "Questioning the Policy Framing of Roma in Ghent, Belgium: Some Implications of Taking an Insider Perspective Seriously," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(5), pages 148-160.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v:3:y:2015:i:5:p:148-160
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/236
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dena Ringold & Mitchell A. Orenstein & Erika Wilkens, 2005. "Roma in an Expanding Europe : Breaking the Poverty Cycle," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 14869, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Laetitia Duval & François-Charles Wolff, 2016. "Emigration intentions of Roma: evidence from Central and South-East Europe," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 87-107, January.
    2. Daniela Antolová & Monika Halánová & Martin Janičko & Peter Jarčuška & Katarína Reiterová & Júlia Jarošová & Andrea Madarasová Gecková & Daniel Pella & Sylvia Dražilová & HepaMeta Team, 2018. "A Community-Based Study to Estimate the Seroprevalence of Trichinellosis and Echinococcosis in the Roma and Non-Roma Population of Slovakia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-9, February.
    3. Michalis Koureas & Matthaios Speletas & Zacharoula Bogogiannidou & Dimitris Babalis & Vassilios Pinakas & Ourania Pinaka & Apostolos Komnos & Stella Tsoutsa & Georgia Papadamou & Maria A. Kyritsi & Al, 2021. "Transmission Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 during an Outbreak in a Roma Community in Thessaly, Greece—Control Measures and Lessons Learned," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-13, March.
    4. Mario Battaglini & Tania Burchardt & Polina Obolenskaya & Polly Vizard, 2018. "Experience of multiple disadvantage among Roma, Gypsy and Traveller children in England and Wales," CASE Papers /208, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    5. Laetitia Duval & François-Charles Wolff, 2016. "“I even met happy gypsies”," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 24(4), pages 727-764, October.
    6. Prosper F. Bangwayo‐Skeete & Precious Zikhali, 2011. "Social exclusion and labour market outcomes: evidence from Eastern Europe and Central Asia," International Journal of Development Issues, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 10(3), pages 233-250, September.
    7. Niall O'Higgins, 2010. "“It's not that I'm a racist, it's that they are Roma”," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(2), pages 163-187, May.
    8. Pavel Ciaian & d'Artis Kancs, 2016. "Causes of the Social and Economic Marginalisation: The Role of Social Mobility Barriers for Roma," EERI Research Paper Series EERI RP 2016/03, Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI), Brussels.
    9. Joanna Kostka, 2015. "Implementation of Roma Inclusion Policies: Why Defining the Problem Matters," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(5), pages 78-89.
    10. Margaret Grosh & Carlo del Ninno & Emil Tesliuc & Azedine Ouerghi, 2008. "For Protection and Promotion : The Design and Implementation of Effective Safety Nets," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6582, December.
    11. Ramón Cobo-Reyes & Natalia Jiménez & Angel Solano, 2006. "Inequality aversion among gypsies: a field investigation," ThE Papers 06/06, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada..
    12. Oded Stark & Ruxanda Berlinschi, 2021. "Community influence as an explanatory factor why Roma children get little schooling," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 189(1), pages 93-114, October.
    13. Laetitia Duval & François-Charles Wolff & Martin Mckee & Bayard Roberts, 2016. "The Roma vaccination gap: Evidence from twelve countries in Central and South-East Europe," Post-Print hal-01385007, HAL.
    14. Stacy Kosko, 2010. "Parental Consent and Children's Rights in Europe: A Balancing Act," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 425-448.
    15. O'Higgins, Niall, 2009. ""It's not that I'm a racist, it's that they are Roma": Roma Discrimination and Returns to Education in South Eastern Europe," IZA Discussion Papers 4208, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Barbara Pavlikova & Lenka Freel & Jitse P. van Dijk, 2020. "To Comply or Not to Comply: Roma Approach to Health Laws," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-13, April.
    17. Ciaian, Pavel & Kancs, D’artis, 2018. "Social Mobility Barriers for Roma: Discrimination and Informal Institutions," European Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(4), pages 670-685, October.
    18. Branislav Šprocha & Branislav Bleha, 2018. "Does Socio‐Spatial Segregation Matter? ‘Islands’ of High Romany Fertility in Slovakia," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 109(2), pages 239-255, April.
    19. Galina Kostadinova, 2011. "Minority Rights as a Normative Framework for Addressing the Situation of Roma in Europe," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 163-183.
    20. János Sándor & Anita Pálinkás & Ferenc Vincze & Nóra Kovács & Valéria Sipos & László Kőrösi & Zsófia Falusi & László Pál & Gergely Fürjes & Magor Papp & Róza Ádány, 2018. "Healthcare Utilization and All-Cause Premature Mortality in Hungarian Segregated Roma Settlements: Evaluation of Specific Indicators in a Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-13, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v:3:y:2015:i:5:p:148-160. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.