The expulsion of Roma people from France during summer of 2010 was one of the most broadcasted events in media around the world. Since the 19th of August, several hundreds of Roma have been forced by the French government to return in Romania and Bulgaria. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the issue of Roma in France has been conducted in the French newspaper “Le Monde” and in the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” from July 16 to September 19, 2010. This study proposes the use of a quantitative content analysis and the qualitative critical discourse analysis as research methods in order to achieve the objectives of this thesis. Several earlier academic researches confirm that Roma’s discrimination started a long time ago. And this thesis has procured facts that allowed me to make a generalisation about this specific issue around Roma people in France. This thesis concludes that there was not a reporting balance in how the two studied newspapers presented the main actors who were involved in the Roma’s issue since the journalists relied mostly on the official sources. This situation led to a more or less biased coverage of the issue where the voices of French authorities and official sources were overrepresented more than Roma people. Consequently, the Roma minority’s voice was not heard in media even though powerful institutions were involved in the issue by taking their side. Moreover, my study shows that it is difficult to have a balanced media reporting during an ongoing conflict especially between one majority group with power and access to media and another group of minority without power and access to media.

The topic of this thesis, "Attitudes to the Education of the Romany students", is looking at instruction of Roma people as a tool for crime prevention related to this ethnic group. The purpose of this text is to assess the practical impacts of the implementation of the Czech government's "Strategy for Crime Prevention", based on personal experience and involvement in a project related to it. A specific project, in a selected area, is used as an example of how to implement projects of this kind. The following text is split into two parts. The first part is describing the history of Roma people in the Czech lands, and addresses the relationship between this ethnic group and crime. The second part is focused on the project related to the Strategy for Crime Prevention. The Strategy is first theoretically introduced and then described in practical terms in the given locality.

<p>Cilj rada jeste, da se istraže frekventni simboli u već<br />objavljenim zbirkama romskog usmenog<br />stvarala&scaron;tva, kao i na novosakupljenom stvarala&scaron;tvu<br />sa teritorije AP Vojvodine koji imaju odreĎeno<br />značenje i ulogu u kulturnom miljeu Roma.<br />Analizom simbola, poku&scaron;aćemo da sagledamo sliku<br />sveta oblikovanu u ovoj poeziji kao i njeno<br />značenje.<br />Istraživanje koje smo sproveli, pokazalo je da bića,<br />pojave, pojmovi, odlike sveta i čoveka pored<br />osnovnog, mogu imati simboličko značenje, a na<br />njima se zasniva osobeno viĎenje sveta. Simboličku<br />vrednost imaju pojave vezane za čovekov život i<br />njegov opstanak, kao i čovekovo telo, biljke,<br />životinje i apstrakni predmeti. Pritom pre možemo<br />govoriti o mogućim simboličkim značenjima nego o<br />&rdquo;pravim&rdquo; simbolima. Ova značenja su, po pravilu,<br />ambivalentna, ista pojava ili biće mogu imati<br />pozitivno i negativno značenje. Simbolička značenja<br />u romskoj tradicionalnoj kulturi počivaju na<br />temeljnom vrednosnom sistemu kulture, ali<br />uglavnom nisu su&scaron;tinski različita od onih koja se<br />formiraju u drugim tradicionalnim kulturama.</p>

<p>Proces tranzicije i projekti modernizacije u<br />većini postsocijalističkih dru&scaron;tava u Evropi,<br />samim tim i na Balkanu, realizovani su u formi<br />deformisane imitativne modernizacije ili<br />kontramodernizacije. Romi su i dalje<br />periferija, ali ovoga puta Evropske unije. Pred<br />njima je neizvesna budućnost u liku alternativa:<br />perspektiva postmodernog totalitarizma sa<br />tehnokratskom diktaturom, ili formiranje<br />čovečanstva kao zajednice ravnopravnih<br />građana i naroda u duhu modela socijaldemokratske<br />globalizacije sveta sa respektom<br />bogatstva kulturnih različitosti sveta, sa<br />globalizacijom razumevanja i solidarnosti među<br />narodima Dakle, i na nama savremenicima je<br />velika odgovornost kakav će oblik, lik i su&scaron;tinu<br />imati budućnost čovečanstva &ndash; da li će se ono<br />razvijati u ključu humanizacije dru&scaron;tva i<br />emancipacije čoveka, ili pak novih oblika<br />socijalnog, političkog i kulturnog porobljavanja.<br />Upravo iz tog razloga, izučavanje specifičnosti<br />stvarala&scaron;tva Roma u kontekstu evropskog<br />sistema kulturnih vrednosti ima veliki značaj.<br />U savremenom svetu, Romi kao etnička grupa<br />sve če&scaron;će postaju predmet interesovanja<br />naučnih istraživanja. &bdquo;Simbolika likovne<br />umetnosti Roma i evropski sistem kulturnih<br />vrednosti&rdquo; pokazuje se u dana&scaron;nje vreme krajnje<br />interesantnom temom istraživanja, s obzirom na<br />njen teorijski i na praktični aspekt. Reč je o umetnostje u svojoj formalnosti dugo vremena<br />bivala mimikrijska, zahvaljujući simboličkoj<br />vrednosti njenih artefakata. Mi je<br />multidisciplinarnim uvidom sagledavamo u<br />obrisima. Likovna umetnost Roma ima svoj<br />korpus koji je dugo bio zatočen u nacionalnim<br />predstavama izbegavajući oznaku romski.<br />Identitet Roma, kao i njihov imidž u Srbiji i<br />Evropi, sveden je na ovu marginalizovanu<br />dimenziju kulture, a kulturna tradicija Roma<br />podvrgnuta je IRONIZACIJI I<br />VULGARIZACIJI od strane većinske i drugih<br />manjinskih zajednica. Romska kultura,<br />artefakti, umetnici formalno su nevidljivi i<br />nemaju prepoznatljivost u dru&scaron;tvu. Ovaj rad je<br />doprinos osvetljavanju aspekta valorizacije<br />romskog kulturnog korpusa.</p> / <p>Transition processes and modernization projects<br />in most post-socialist societies in Europe,<br />including Balcans, have been realized in the<br />form of deformed imitative modernization or<br />counter-modernization. Roma people are still at<br />periphery, but this time at the periphery of<br />European Union. They are facing uncertain<br />future, with alternatives of postmodern<br />totalitarianism with technocratic dictature, or<br />humanity as community of equal citizens and<br />ethnic groups in the spirit of social-democratic<br />globalization, with respect for cultural<br />differences and understanding and solidarity<br />among nations. Contemporaries bear<br />responsibility for what form and essence the<br />future of humanity will have &ndash; whether it will<br />develop in the course of humanization of<br />society and emancipation of people, or its<br />develepment will be directed toward new forms<br />of social, political and cultural oppression.<br />Therefore, the researh of specificity of Roma&rsquo;s<br />creative work in the context of European system<br />of cultural values is of great importance.<br />In contemporary world, Roma people as ethnic<br />group are becoming the subject of scientific<br />research more and more frequently. &bdquo;Symbolics<br />of Roma&rsquo;s fine arts and European system of<br />cultural values&ldquo; turns out to be very interesting<br />topic for studying, considering its theoretical<br />and applied aspects. This thesis is<br />interdisciplinary study with both theoretical and<br />broader cultural relevance, for this topic yields<br />the possibility for the analysis and dialog of<br />different culturological value dimensions which<br />are built in centuries-long history of Europe.<br />Study deals with a &bdquo;specific illumination&ldquo; of<br />unlit aspects of Roma people and the field of<br />fine arts, their possible history, developmental<br />paths and actuality. Today, this issue is<br />significant for plenty of reasons, since this<br />problem is shadowed by many ephemeral studies which yielded modest results. This work<br />is based on scientific analytical-synthetic<br />paradigm. The main research problem addressed<br />in this study is the question: whether the<br />symbolics of Roma&rsquo;s fine arts exists in the<br />European system of cultural values, or whether<br />symbolics of Roma&rsquo;s art reflects in European<br />culture. Descriptive, hermetical and<br />comparative historical methods were used in the<br />study under the framework of synchronic and<br />diachronic approach. Because of the specificity<br />of the research subject, thought experiment was<br />used as well, as logical principle of aesthetical<br />analysis.<br />In this research, aesthetical discussion, evidence<br />of visible and invisible Roma&rsquo;s art has been<br />developed, as well as evidence of elements of<br />symbolics in the fine arts of Roma people in the<br />context of European system of cultural values.<br />Roma&rsquo;s fine art has been mimicric for a long<br />time, because of the symbolic value of its<br />artefacts. Using multidisciplinary approach, we<br />recognize its contours. Its corpus has been<br />detained in national notions, by avoiding label<br />Romani. Roma&rsquo;s identity, as well as their image<br />in Serbia and Europe, has been reduced to this<br />marginalized cultural dimension, and Roma&rsquo;s<br />cultural tradition has been exposed to<br />ironization and vulgarization by national<br />majority and other national minorities. Roma&rsquo;s<br />culture, artefacts, artists are formaly invisible<br />and unrecognized. This work contributes to<br />illumination and valorization of Roma&rsquo;s cultural<br />corpus.</p>

This thesis analysed the variety of views expressed about disparities between Romanian Roma and non-Roma by people who are actively engaged in redressing unjust social and economic differences. The focus was placed on the variability of views between and within three different contexts: academic texts proposing policy measures for addressing disparities between Roma and non-Roma people; policy documents concerning measures for Roma inclusion; and conversations by people involved in the implementation of Roma inclusion policy measures. The general concerns of this study were to identify (1) the ways in which the problem of ethnic disparity was portrayed, (2) the solutions proposed to the problem of ethnic disparity, (3) the ambivalent, dilemmatic or concealed aspects concerning the topic of disparities between Roma and non-Roma people living in Romania, (4) whether the perspectives of Roma people were accounted for in the contexts analyses and (5) the similarities and differences between the discourses of academics, policy makers, practitioners and beneficiaries of public policies concerning disparities. The theoretical foundation for this thesis was offered by the social psychological literature that links disparities between groups of people and racial or ethnic prejudice. There are four ways in which this thesis has contributed to this literature. Firstly, most of the social psychological research on ethnic disparities has been experimental, whereas in this thesis, the focus was on the often overlooked discursive practices concerning ethnic disparities. Secondly, although some of the social psychological literature, especially research on the contact hypothesis and social identity theory, has looked at the dynamic interrelationship between advantaged and disadvantaged group members, most research has focused only on the perspectives of the advantaged group members. Therefore, there remains a research gap in the literature concerning the perspectives presented in inter-ethnic interactions, and even more so, by disadvantaged group members. This thesis added to the analysis the perspectives of advantaged and disadvantaged group members, both separately and in interaction. Thirdly, whereas emergent work looks at the ambivalent views towards ethnic or racial minorities, and the possible ironic effects of prejudice reduction strategies, there is virtually no research about the possible ironic, ambivalent or dilemmatic effects of strategies which target systemic based ethnic disparities - issues explored in this thesis. Finally, most social psychological research focuses on a single context of study, most commonly the public perceptions about members of the disadvantaged groups, but also marginally mass media representations, academic publications or political discourses. This thesis places attention on an equally important area of study concerned with whether and how discourses can move between different domains, and the impact or acknowledgement of elite discourses on the everyday conversations. There are four key findings that emerged from the studies conducted for this thesis. Firstly, it was found that while expressing views about ethnic disparity, academics, policymakers, practitioners and beneficiaries of public policies for Roma people displayed subtle forms of ethnicism. Secondly, a great deal of political discourse was devoted to the encouragement of individual changes in ethnic minorities, without a similar focus on the roles of majority group members in perpetuating inequality. Whereas, the problem of Roma inclusion was acknowledged by academics, policymakers, practitioners and beneficiaries of policy measures, to be a matter for public policies, some of the attribution of responsibility for inclusion was offered to Roma people, who were encouraged to change as individuals in accord with majoritarian norms. Thirdly, the analysis showed the inclusion of the perspectives of ethnic minorities only in two of the three contexts where policy measures for Roma people were proposed and implemented: academic publications and conversations. The perspectives of feminist experts and women were only marginally present in academic publications and conversations, while missing from policy discourses. Also the perspectives of academics or the non-hegemonic voices of excluded or disadvantaged Roma people were largely absent from the arguments presented in policy documents for Roma inclusion. Lastly, this thesis found that there are ambivalence, dilemmas and concealment at work within arguments proposing policy measures for redressing ethnic disparities, with important political consequences. The findings of this thesis contribute to the important conversation about the meanings of disparity and the political solutions for achieving equality between groups of people. Also, the findings of this thesis have important implications for the social psychological theory of disparity, the policies for redressing disparity and the social work practice with disadvantaged group members.

The diploma thesis deals the phenomenon of education of Roma children in the system of special elementary education. The aim of the thesis is to capture the specifics of this education focusing on the analysis of the civic education on primary practical schools in context of relationships to Roma pupils. The theoretical part is focused on the current situation of the Roma minority in the Czech republic. The work briefly describes the history of the Roma minority and the current situation of Roma people in the modern society. Most attention is paid to the Czech primary educational system, especially teaching Roma pupils on practical primary schools. The work briefly deals with the current changes in the educational system, so called inclusive education too. The practical part is focused on the methodology of the multicultural education themes, on the second degree of an elementary practical school in Vimperk.

This Master thesis deals with teaching of history of the Roma people in history lessons. The incorporation of Roma history to the curriculum is supported in the national Framework Program for Elementary Education, primarily through the cross-curricular theme of "Multicultural education". The theoretical part of this thesis consists of a brief summary of Roma history to the extent of what should be part of Elementary Education; history textbooks analysis from the perspective of Roma history; and list of other supportive educational materials. The practical part of this thesis presents a survey that was carried out within a small scale sample of secondary schools. Through the survey the current level of the 9th graders' knowledge about Roma history had been detected and subsequently a demonstrative lesson was delivered and evaluated.

The thesis deals with the government's policy towards national minorities in Slovakia after 1993. It focuses on policies towards the two most populous minorities in Slovakia (Hungarian and Roma minority) mainly in two key spheres -- culture and education. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the development of the minority policy towards Hungarians and Roma people and to asses individual factors that causes its changes. The goal is also to compare the approach of government coalitions towards these two minorities. The continuity of these policies is mainly observed. Policies can be influenced by internal and external factors. International organizations -- Council of Europe, European Union and OSCE -- and Hungarians are set as external factors and different government coalition in Slovakia as internal. Last question that thesis deals with is if the triadic nexus (as characterized by Rogers Brubaker) between nationalism of Slovak government, Hungary and Hungarian minority in Slovakia can influence also minority policy towards Roma. Despite all these factors that have an influence on government's minority policy after 1993 in Slovakia, it is continual.

Projects are a common method in the work of closing the gap between the majority society and the Roma people. As a national minority in Sweden, the Roma people are entitled to certain rights of participation within this work. This thesis aims to analyze five projects, meant to work towards the Roma people’s inclusion, to answer how the concepts of empowerment and intersectionality are expressed or implicitly embodied within them. It is also questioned how the projects have considered the Roma people’s perceptions of their own situation and context. By using content analysis together with the theoretical framework, it is possible to bring light to these concepts, as well as to find key variables in order to answer the research questions. The main findings show that while the projects lacked in using an intersectional approach, the concept has important analytical tools which could be helpful in order to include the vulnerable persons within the Roma groups and to work with more sensitive issues. Some levels of empowerment is also found in the projects, both as a goal and as a means.However, in order to empower the Roma people, the majority society would have to give more decision power to the group. Thus the projects have not reached the potential they could have had in contributing to the shift which has been set in motion towards letting the Roma people develop the perspective of the work as well as be part of the execution.

This thesis deals with education of socially handicapped people in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. It presents approaches and supporting disposals in both countries. The attention is devoted to actual situation in education of socially handicapped children at various degrees of schools. It describes affirmative actions, such as preliminary classes, education assistants in the Czech Republic or zero grades, education assistants and daylong education system in Slovakia. The thesis also sums up several projects focused on socially handicapped, one project focused on Roma children support realized in the Czech republic, three projects focused on education of socially handicapped, their parents' and educators' support, realized in middle Slovakia in years 2011-2015. KEYWORDS education, social handicap, Roma people, affirmative action, preliminary class, education assistant, daylong education system