Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Sociology Dissertations Department of Sociology 12-15-2016 NOTORIOUS BUT INVISIBLE: HOW ROMANI MEDIA PORTRAYALS INVALIDATE ROMANI IDENTITY AND EXISTANCE IN MAINSTREAM SOCIETY Melanie Covert Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss Recommended Citation Covert, Melanie, "NOTORIOUS BUT INVISIBLE: HOW ROMANI MEDIA PORTRAYALS INVALIDATE ROMANI IDENTITY AND EXISTANCE IN MAINSTREAM SOCIETY." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2016. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss/89 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Sociology at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NOTORIOUS BUT INVISIBLE: HOW ROMANI MEDIA PORTRAYALS INVALIDATE ROMANI IDENTITY AND EXISTANCE IN MAINSTREAM SOCIETY by MELANIE R COVERT Under the Direction of Rosalind Chou, Phd ABSTRACT The Romani are a group of individuals that have been acknowledged in newspapers, television, movies and other forms of media but remain invisible as a people world-wide. Through the use of qualitative interviews, content analysis and qualitative synthesis, this study investigates why this phenomenon occurs in the United States as well as Europe. Overall, it was found that media portrayals negatively impact the Romani’s ability to successfully acculturate, increases their experiences of prejudice and discrimination and negatively impacts their social, physical and mental health. Romani media portrayals also appropriate the Romani’s ability to define themselves to mainstream society and impacts their identity development. INDEX WORDS: Race, Inequality, Racism, Prejudice, Identity, Assimilation, Media NOTORIOUS BUT INVISIBLE: HOW ROMANI MEDIA PORTRAYALS INVALIDATE ROMANI IDENTITY AND EXISTANCE IN MAINSTREAM SOCIETY by MELANIE COVERT A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2016 Copyright by Melanie Rose Covert 2016 NOTORIOUS BUT INVISIBLE: HOW ROMANI MEDIA PORTRAYALS INVALIDATE ROMANI IDENTITY AND EXISTANCE IN MAINSTREAM SOCIETY by MELANIE COVERT Committee Chair: Rosalind Chou Committee: James Ainsworth Tomeka Davis Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University December 2016 iv DEDICATION To the many Romani whose narratives fill these pages whom I have come to love. “Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.” ― C.S. Lewis, And to Shaun the very best part of my life. You have helped make all my dreams come true and supported me whatever I’ve done. I’ll never deserve you. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge my Chair Dr. Rosalind Chou and my committee Dr. Tomeka Davis and Dr. James Ainsworth for their work on my committee, the helpful insights, their warranted challenges and their encouraging praise. To the many nameless sources, professors, activists and writers who pointed me in the right direction and opened new worlds of life and information for me. And finally, to acknowledge Dr. N, the invisible presence that has helped me steer my ship from the very start of this program. I would never have completed this research or even made it to this point without your guidance and willingness to help me see not only who I am but also who I am on my way to being. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………..v 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………...1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………...5 2.1 Assimilation and the Influence of Society………..…………………………..5 2.2 Who Are the Romani?……………………...………………………………....6 2.3 The Negative Impact of Media Portrayals.......................................................8 2.4 Portrayal and Discrimination as an Outcome of Portrayals….………..…10 2.5 The Internalization of Prejudice……………………………………...……..11 2.6 Research Questions…………………...……………………………………...12 3 METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………………13 3.1 Study Population……………………………………………………………..13 3.2 Qualitative Interviews………………………...……………………………..13 3.3 Data Collection & Analyzation………………..…………………………….15 3.4 Protection of Participants…………………………………………………....17 3.5 Role of Researcher……………………...……………………………………18 3.6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………19 vii 4 MEDIA PORTRAYELS.....………………………………………………………..21 4.1 General Media Portrayals in America- “Gypsies aren’t a race”…………22 4.2 General Media Portrayals in Europe- “Gypsies are different”…………..25 4.3 Romani in American Newspapers- A Suitable Target…..…………...…...27 4.4 Newspapers in Modern America………………………………...…………33 4.5 Romani in European Newspapers- “The worst representations”……........33 4.6 Romani in the Movies- “A romanticized view”……………………………..36 4.6.1 The hunchback of Notre Dame…………………………………...……...37 4.6.2 Sherlock Game of Shadows………………………………………………38 4.6.3 Modern movie portrayals………………...………………………………39 4.7 Romani on television………………………………………………………….41 4.8 Historical Portrayals in the United States…………………………………..43 4.9 Modern Portrayals on American television....………………………………45 4.9.1 My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding………………………..……………………...46 4.10 The Harm of Reality……..…………………………………………………...51 4.10.1 American Gypsies…………………………………..…………..………..54 4.11 The Impact of Media Portrayals on Gender………….…………………….56 4.12 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….58 5 RACISM, PREJUDICE AND THE ROLE OF MAINSTREAM MEDIA IN CREATING BARRIERS INTHE LIFE OF THE ROMANI 5.1 General experience of Discrimination-“No life for Gypsies”……...………..61 5.2 Unfiltered Prejudice…………………………………………………………...64 5.3 Prejudice in Europe- “They are being exploited”…………………………...65 viii 5.4 Interpersonal Prejudice in America………………………………...………..67 5.5 Interpersonal prejudice in Europe…………………………………………...71 5.6 Police interactions America…………………………………………………..75 5.7 Police interactions Europe……………………………………………………79 5.8 School Encounters of Prejudice America…………………………………....81 5.9 Segregation in European Schools…...………………………………………..86 5.10 Gendered Violence America and Europe……………………………............87 5.11 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..92 6 NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF PREJUDICE AND THE ROLE OF ROMANI IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT…………………………………………………….94 6.1 Resistance to Assimilation…………...………………………………..….…...95 6.2 Mental health………………………………………………………………....100 6.3 Access to social services………………………………………………………105 6.4 Traveling and family support………………………………………………..106 6.4.1 Traveling and family support in America……………………….………106 6.4.2 Traveling and family support in Europe………………...…………….…109 6.5 Romani Identity…………………………..………………………………….105 6.5.1 Outside influences on Romani Identity in America……………….……114 6.5.2 Outside influences on Romani Identity in Europe………………….…..118 6.6 How Romani Define Themselves……….…………………………………...121 6.7 The Definition of Romani Identity in America……...……………………..122 6.8 The Definition of Romani Identity in Europe……….……………………..126 6.9 The Impact of Intergroup Conflict…………………………………...……..128 ix 6.10 Additional Struggles at the Intersection of Gender………...……………..131 6.11 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...133 7 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………135 7.1 Romani activists…………………………………………………………….135 7.2 Overall findings……………………………………………………………..138 7.3 A part of the conversation………………………………………………….140 8 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………….144 1 1 INTRODUCTION In October 2012, The Guardian reported that the airing of the widely popular My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (MBFGW) of the United Kingdom had reportedly led to a significant increase in physical and sexual assaults, hostility and bullying motivated by racism and directed toward Romani in European schools. The consequences of these racially motivated behaviors included an increase in Romani withdrawals from public schools and documented emotional damage to Romani children (Plunkett, 2012). These discriminatory actions directed at Romani pushed against the strides they have made in the UK towards successful assimilation. Barry (2001) indicates that the establishment of relationships is among the most crucial for those seeking to assimilate. The prevalence of bullying directed toward Romani within schools and in the broader social context creates a barrier to the establishment of these vital relationships. The prevalence of bullying motivated by racial prejudice is known to increase the negative outcomes associated with the process of assimilation or acculturation, thus increasing the risk for negative personal and social outcomes for those on the receiving end of this bullying. These negatives outcomes include restriction to social mobility, lack of access to social resources and decreased overall health (Forester et al., 2013; Mesinger et al. 2012; Oppedal, Roysamb & Sam, 2004; Paradies, 2006). Immigrant groups in the United States, such as Romani groups, also encounter resistance to their assimilation and acculturation on several fronts. Among the public spaces that prejudice and resistance are encountered, popular media portrayals, including television, movies and newscasts, are among the most notable (Crocket et al., 2007; Torres, 2010). Research shows that American Romani groups encounter resistance to their traditional