From Victimhood to Citizenship: The Path of Roma Integration

Integration and the Politicisation of Roma Identity

inteGrAtion And the politicisAtion oF roMA identity MArtin kovAts introduction András Bíró has initiated this debate on the challenges facing ‘roma’ people in general , and roma activists in particular in regard to the ‘future integration of this transnational community into a globalised world’. in this essay, i will respond by focussing on the relationship between roma identity and politics, the nature and implications of the weaknesses of roma as a new political identity. there are two main reasons for concentrating on politics. First, though ‘Cigány’, ‘Gypsies’, ‘Gitanos’, etc., have been part of european societies and cultures for centuries , their explicit political meaning and significance have, historically, been very limited. Furthermore, overt roma political activism is a very recent phenomenon but allows ‘roma’ people to directly contribute to actual and discursive relations of power. second, politics is important. it is the mechanism by which resources are allocated and thus is an essential medium for determining what opportunities are available for ‘roma’ people (and others). in other words, we have two distinct, but related aspects of roma integration; the ‘integration’ of roma identity within mainstream politics, and the way political actions impact upon the socio-economic and cultural ‘integration’ of ‘roma’ people in the societies in which they live. this essay seeks to develop debate about the relationship between these two kinds of ‘integration’. it argues that, as a new political identity, roma has been relatively easy to integrate in mainstream politics, both intellectually and institutionally. however, this successful ‘integration’ has, on the whole, not led to the other kind of ‘integration’. indeed, the very emergence and expansion of roma as an explicit political identity has had an ambiguous affect on the social and economic status of most ‘roma’ people. one thing is clear; the stakes are very high. roma is a dynamic political phenomenon . the social and economic disadvantages of so many ‘roma’ people are unacceptable and unsustainable. unlike in the past, these disadvantages can no longer be (largely) ignored by mainstream society, but require action to be taken, most notably by states. however, ‘solutions’ to such objective problems, are complex, expensive and appear remote and idealistic in the current context. on top of these objective challenges there are profoundly aggravating subjective factors, multiple forms of fear and ignorance, prejudice and hatred. Mix these up with perceived demographic trends and the competitive (confrontational) nature of politics, and it is not implausible to think that the ‘roma issue’ has the potential to dramatically destabilise several european countries and could involve human rights abuses on a massive scale. in order to explain the coincidence of the institutional integration of roma identity with the structural marginalisation of many ‘roma’ people, the essay looks beyond the inevitable limitations of roma as an emerging political lobby or constituency, and argues that the reality of ‘roma’ people does not determine the political perception of roma, which is actually a construct of the mainstream. this analysis raises the question of how and to what extent roma identity can be a useful tool for improving the living standards and life chances of ‘roma’ people. introduction to the Author i will follow András Bíró’s lead and introduce myself and my interest in the subject as this may aid appreciation of the content and conclusions of the essay. i am not a rom. i can identify myself in a variety of ways, and for the purposes of this essay i am a political scientist. i came to the roma issue through choice rather than necessity. in early 1990s hungary, i was sceptical that the imposition of an economic model predicated on inequality and competition could establish political institutions and culture that would guarantee equality of opportunity. At a time when people were willing to talk about politics , i soon came to know to a number of roma activists who described an emerging catastrophe neglected in mainstream political debate. it was obvious that the political significance of roma was not just a flash in the post-communist pan but, would grow and grow in political significance, not just in hungary but across europe. i realised that we were witnessing the birth of a new form of politics, the critical factor in which was the explicit and irrevocable emergence of roma people/activists into the public political arena. i had to follow the story to see where roma politics would lead, not in order to describe a fascinating new (political) tribe, but because just as ‘roma’ people...