This research is an interdisciplinary work on the use of media by marginalized ethnic minorities for self-representation, using as its frame of reference scholars such as Faye Ginsburg, Gayatri Spivak, Judith Butler, Stuart Hall, Achille Mbembe, and David Harvey. Specifically, this dissertation examines Indigenous communities in Brazil and the Roma (Gypsy) population of Spain, uncovering the multiple discourses through which ethnic identities have to be negotiated within a larger dominant culture, especially in contexts of globalization, and brings to this discussion the theorization of new media. These two highly stigmatized populations have been finding new and more democratic venues for collectively defining their own cultures in the complex process of identity (re)creation. Based on interviews with media producers, I discuss community radio stations, online network groups, video making, and blogs, and how these constitute different tools for promoting culture and conducting political activism. Through constant performances of culture, I argue, they are able to restore and participate in the dialogue on self-determination and minority rights in a different sphere of discourse, both locally and globally, at the same time that they also influence their own (and others') understanding of their ethnic identity. In terms of the impact of media products produced autonomously or in collaboration with non-Indigenous groups, this research also addresses the fact that, despite the efforts of both Indigenous and Roma groups in using these new media as non-hegemonic communication venues, their invisibility as a subject is often repeated, even when sympathetically supported by the discourse of cultural diversity, due to financial and distribution constraints. Ultimately, this study brings together their similarities and differences to determine how these technologies can be both helpful or hinder the self-affirmation and increased autonomy of ethnic minority groups.

Förekomsten av diskriminering av romer har påvisats i tidigare studier och rapporter från Diskrimineringsombudsmannen. Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och förstå romers upplevelse av diskriminering. Frågeställningarna som lyfts är om romer upplever sig vara diskriminerade och på vilket sätt, hur man möter de fördomar man som grupp utsätts för och vad anser de kan identifieras som orsaken till diskrimineringen. Den empiriska delen av studien har genomförts utifrån kvalitativ metod, genom att intervjuer med romska respondenter. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna är baserade på perspektiv gällande diskriminering, stigma och utanförskap med syfte att beskriva de samhälleliga strukturer som påverkar fördomar och diskriminering. Studien visar på att romerna i undersökningen upplever sig vara diskriminerade inom flera livsområden, och de beskriver detta som en del i deras vardag. Orsakerna bottnar i, som de ser, att de fördomar samhället haft i historien lever kvar. De påvisar också att detta orsakat en känsla av att man som individ tillhörande den romska gruppen har ett lägre värde i jämförelse med majoritetssamhället. För att bryta dessa fördomar ser respondenterna att det behövs arbete från två håll, både från majoritetssamhället och romerna där begrepp som trygghet och information är väsentliga. / The existence of discrimination against the Roma has been demonstrated in previous studies and inreports from Diskrimineringsombudsmannen. The purpose of this study is to describe and understand Romaexperience of discrimination. The issues raised are if Roma perceive them to be discriminated and in what way, how they face the prejudices they as a group are exposed to and what they consider to be identified as the cause of discrimination. The empirical part of the study has been carried out using qualitative methodology, through interviews with Roma respondents. The theoretical approach is based on perspective regarding discrimination, stigma and exclusion in order to describe the social structures thatinfluence prejudice and discrimination. The study shows that the Roma in the survey feel they are discriminated in many areas of life, and they describe it as part of their everyday life. The reasons stem from, as they see, that historical prejudice in society remains. They demonstrate also that this causes a feeling that they as individuals belonging to the Roma community have a lower value in comparison with the majority society. To break these prejudices respondents see the need to work on two fronts, both from the majority society and the Roma, where concepts such as feeling of security and information are essential.

The focus of this dissertation is on vulnerability to poverty and on wage discrimination of Roma in South East Europe with the aim to reveal the systemic causes of poverty and labour market disadvantage. It calls attention to the interaction of various socio-economic factors that are responsible for the situation of the Roma in South East Europe. It is shown that Roma are both poorer than non-Roma and are more vulnerable to poverty. Especially, low education appears to be a key determinant of Roma household's vulnerability. The dissertation further shows, that education (rather than wage discrimination) is a main factor in explaining wage income differentials between Roma and non-Roma in South East Europe. Nevertheless, wage discrimination apparently is an important factor in lowering incomes of Roma in Albania and Kosovo. (author's abstract)

Föreliggande uppsats har undersökt volontärers uppfattningar om vilka stödinsatser som är till störst nytta för romska EU-medborgare från Rumänien som kommer till Sverige för att tigga, samt hur de förstår EU-medborgarna och deras situation. Syftet var att få en helhetsbild av hur frivilligarbetarna ser på EU- medborgarna och hur de anser att eventuellt stöd bör utformas. Ett övergripande syfte var att bidra till ökad kunskap om gruppen EU- medborgare som tigger. Detta gjordes genom sju semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades tematiskt. Studiens resultat, som analyserades med hjälp av empowerment- och tillitsteorier, visade att frivilligarbetarna anser att det är viktigt att stötta de individer som kommer till Sverige för att tigga. De uttrycker nödvändigheten av att bistå med det mest basala, men att det viktigaste och mest omfattande biståndsarbetet bör ske förebyggande i hemlandet Rumänien. Frivilligarbetarnas syn på EU-medborgarna framstår som positiv och hoppfull, samtidigt som de uppvisar gedigna kunskaper om romernas komplicerade situation i Rumänien. De uttrycker en tilltro till romernas möjlighet, att med visst bistånd, kunna påverka sin tillvaro i hemlandet. / The present study explores the experiences of volunteers working with Roma EU citizens who spend time in Sweden for the purpose of begging. The overall purpose was to investigate how the volunteers viewed the begging EU citizens and their need of support, in order to increase our awareness of begging EU citizens. Seven semi-structured interviews were carried out and, the data were analyzed using a thematic approach. Theories on empowerment and trust informed the analysis. The results indicate that the volunteers believe that Roma EU citizens are best supported preventively, where they live in Romania, although all of the volunteers expressed the necessity of basal support when the EU citizens were in Sweden. The volunteers, who showed profound knowledge of the complex Roma situation in Romania, seem to have an optimistic view of the possibilities for EU citizens to, with some support, improve their situation in Romania.

<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>

The thesis aims at quantifying the potential fiscal gains of an extra investment into Roma education. From the budgetary point of view, it would pay off to invest extra money into Roma children, if it increased future net contributions to the budget. The extra investment into one child could take values up to the average discounted value of future net benefits per person. The net benefits represent the increased net contributions due to a higher level of education. The contribution of the thesis is the estimation of different net contributions of Roma with various educational levels to the national budget in order to encourage the investment into Roma children. Secondly, we estimated the yearly loss of the national budget due to lower education among the Roma. And thirdly, we conducted a survey among the clients of the endowment fund Verda to find the relationship between their education, employment status and other variables.

Summary: "Romani Accented Movies": Current situation of Romani Cinema and Its future Perspective The main theoretical approach that underpins this work is based on the concept of an accented cinema formulated by the Iranian film scholar Hamid Naficy. On the basis of his methodological tools the author examines some elements of the "accented style" as they assert themselves in the Roma cinema, and comes to the conclusion that already on a small sample of ten Romani filmmakers we can see certain components that are more or less common to all featured artists. Foremost there is shared existence in the "interspace", which is moreover in some aspects different from the exile or other diaspora filmmakers' "boundary" existence, given by the specific status of the Roma minority in society. Roma cinema is characterized by autobiographical approach and author's self-inscription into the story. From the production point of view these films are mostly alternative, low-budget or art-house ones. Romani cinema is most often supported by public broadcasters, subsidies from the state, nonprofit organizations or small production companies. Staffs are often formed on friendship or family ties, the filmmakers usually work with the similar team of people, hold multiple positions themselves and also are present at different...

The paper decomposes average income differentials between Roma and non-Roma in South East Europe into the component that can be explained by group differences in income-related characteristics (characteristics effect), and the component which is due to differing returns to these characteristics (coefficients or discrimination effect). The decomposition analysis is based on Blinder (1973) and Oaxaca (1973) and uses three weighting matrices, reflecting the different assumptions about income structures that would prevail in the absence of discrimination. Heckman (1979) estimators control for selectivity bias. Using microdata from the 2004 UNDP household survey on Roma minorities, the paper finds that a large share of the average income differential between Roma and non-Roma is explained by human capital differences. Nevertheless, significant labour market discrimination is found in Kosovo for all weight specifications and in Bulgaria and Serbia for two weight specifications. (author's abstract)

On February 17, 2008,Kosovo declared its independence. The path to independence and the claim to Kosovo was a long process that developed in three primary phases: A) the fostering of territorial solidarity under direct rule and an emphasis on historical ties to the territory; B) the foundation of the national idea within the realms of proto-nationalism; and C) the emergence of peripheral and mass nationalism. This research seeks to define the development of nationalist ideologies in Kosovo and to explore where Roma fit within those ideologies. An historical and sociological approach to nationalism in Kosovo is critical in understanding the current situation of Roma living in, and deported to, Kosovo, including the recent phenomenon of ethnic scapegoating of the Roma by both Serbs and Albanians

The purpose of this study was to examine how the Swedish press produced begging phenomenon in Sweden during the year of 2014. The used method was a qualitative content analysis using the theoretical perspectives, social constructionism and labeling theory. This study has covered 90 articles focused on begging phenomenon within the Swedish press.The main results in this study were that Swedish media often present the phenomenon of begging on the basis of ethnic group, the Roma. Due to a long history of discrimination they lack social and economic security both in Sweden and in the rest of the EU. The phenomenon of begging is presented as a result of organized crime and the given solution resolving begging is to ban it. Social knowledge about who the involved individuals are and why they beg is represented clearly in the press. We acknowledge that the results, based on theories and previous research, not always integrates and correspond with reality. The press often forgets to mention that this ethnic group has no safe and secure place to call "home".