Challenging Essentialized Representations of Romani Identities in Canada

Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 2-7-2014 12:00 AM Challenging Essentialized Representations of Romani Identities in Canada Julianna Beaudoin The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Randa Farah The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Julianna Beaudoin 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Beaudoin, Julianna, "Challenging Essentialized Representations of Romani Identities in Canada" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1894. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1894 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Challenging Essentialized Representations of Romani Identities in Canada (Thesis format: Monograph) by Julianna Calder Beaudoin Graduate Program in Anthropology Collaborative Program in Migration and Ethnic Relations A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada ©Julianna Beaudoin 2014 Abstract Roma are one of the world’s most marginalized and exoticized ethnic groups, and they are currently the targets of increasing violence and exclusionary polices in Europe. In Canada, immigration and refugee policies have increasingly dismissed Roma as illegitimate or ‘bogus’ refugee claimants, in large part because they come from ‘safe’ European countries. These policies are reinforced through Canadian media discourse that primarily situates Roma as abusers of the refugee system. This dissertation on Romani identity challenges these demeaning and essentializing representations by focusing on three areas most relevant to Romani identities: first, historical representations; second, the role of media in reinforcing stereotypes; and third, Romani activism that contests popular conceptions surrounding Roma. Based on research and fieldwork, I propose that Canadian policies, stereotyping, and Romani activism produce a seemingly paradoxical phenomenon: on the one hand, they accentuate and sometimes create internal differences, and on the other hand, they demand that the Roma respond with a unified collective voice. The production of these differences and similarities correspond to specific historical and social contexts of Roma in Canada. This dissertation examines these issues by analyzing Romani relationships with institutional organizations (including the refugee determination system) and conflicts over public representations in the media. This dissertation is based on anthropological approaches, including participant observation and other fieldwork methods with Roma in the Greater Toronto Area from 2009-2013. This work expands on my previous research with Toronto Romani community members beginning in 2007. I conducted interviews with Romani refugee claimants, Romani community members and leaders, service providers, lawyers, journalists, and other people involved in Romani issues and advocacy work. I also conducted archival research on the history of the Roma in Ontario, as well as media discourse analyses of select newspapers in 2012. In addition to qualitative data, I have included statistical analyses of Immigration and Refugee Board data, dating 1996-2012, on Hungarian and Czech acceptance and success rates. This work demonstrates that Romani identities are historical, complex, multi-layered, and ever changing, and that their struggles regarding identities and representations have real life consequences. Keywords Roma/Romani studies, identity, representation, history, media, advocacy, Canada, refugee/immigration policy ii Acknowledgments This research would not have been possible without the support from many different people. First, and most importantly, I need to acknowledge my debt to the Roma with whom I have had the pleasure of working. I am grateful that people allowed me into their homes and shared their stories with me, and I am further thankful for the feedback, friendship, and support I have received from the community over the past six years. I cannot possibly do justice in adequately thanking all of the Romani community members, leaders, and allies for all the work they do, but I want them to know how profoundly they have influenced me. I have witnessed so many people freely give their time and energy in hopes of a better future without discrimination and fear of persecution, both in Canada and in Europe. On a similar note, I would like to thank the many refugee advocates and researchers with whom I have had the pleasure of meeting. It is encouraging to witness so many dedicated people working towards a better refugee and immigration process and assisting marginalized and vulnerable communities. I would also like to acknowledge the many refugee claimants with whom I spoke—whether for only a few minutes or over the course of years—who have since been sent back home. You are in my thoughts. I need to acknowledge my supervisor, Dr. Randa Farah, for her support over the past six years. She trusted in my abilities as an anthropologist, believed in my research, and helped elevate my ideas to the next level. I would also like to give heartfelt appreciation to my thesis committee, Dr. Sherrie Larkin and Dr. Andrew Walsh. They were always available to discuss my ideas, concerns, and experiences throughout this project, and I took frequent advantage of their constantly open doors. They played a large role in my success as a graduate student and as an engaged anthropologist. I would also like to thank my examining committee, Dr. Regna Darnell, Dr. Stephanie Bangarth, and Dr. Christina Clark-Kazak, for their time, insightful comments, and suggestions. My research was partially funded by a number of sources, including the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program, Western University’s Department of Anthropology, Western University Graduate Thesis Research Award, and the Regna Darnell Award. I would also iii like to acknowledge the Student Success Centre Community Service Learning Grant made possible by RBC in awarding material funds for the Roma Community Centre. The Migration and Ethnic Relations Program at Western University also deserves special mention. It introduced me to a great number of friends and colleagues who lent their support during my graduate career and with whom I look forward to continuing to work in the future. A big thank you goes out to Dr. Victoria Esses for seeing the potential of such a program and working so hard to achieve (and maintain) it, as well as for the opportunities she has provided myself and so many other students over the past years. I am also deeply thankful for the professors and classmates I have had in the Anthropology Department at Western over the course of my graduate career. Finally, I would like to thank my family. My great-uncle, Dr. William Judd, passed away during the course of my PhD, but he remains an inspiration for me in many ways. I am very grateful for the support and love I have received from family, from Newfoundland to Maryland and in-between. My extended Ontario family has especially been patient and supportive, and I look forward to spending more time with them. Last and certainly not least, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Matthew Beaudoin for his constant love and encouragement. It was incredibly helpful to have a partner who had recently undergone the same dissertation process, and I have no doubt his insights and advice helped keep me (mostly) sane. His achievements and words continue to inspire me every day. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii List of Appendices ........................................................................................................... viii List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 - Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1 Defying expectations ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project questions and aims ...................................................................................... 8 1.2 Between “a certain shared experience” and “making an impossible list”: Bridging Romani perspectives ............................................................................................. 17 Chapter 2 – Theoretical landscape .................................................................................... 26 2 Conceptual frameworks ..............................................................................................

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