The Romani people have, since their arrival in Europe during the turn of the last millennia, been the subject of stigmatization and hatred. Despite efforts to end discrimination against the Romani population, they remain one of the most stigmatized groups throughout Europe. Media has often been blamed for presenting and reproducing stereotypes concerning the Romani people consequently further cementing preconceived notions about the group. Numerous researchers have studied how these stereotypes are manifested as well as the underlying reasons behind their existence in both Swedish and international ether and printed media published in the last few decades. In contrast to prior research, this study investigates how the Romani people have been portrayed and the reasons behind these portrayals during a more extensive historical period than done prior. Using a traditional approach to content-analysis, selected months and years between 1914-2013 are examined in two of the largest newspapers in Sweden. The results are then analyzed using postcolonial theory and Mary Douglas´ theory presented in the influential work Purity and Danger. In short, our analysis indicates that stereotypical representations of the Romani population, as well as various societal strategies for dealing with the group, are found throughout the examined period. The representations and strategies presented pre-world war II could, undoubtedly, be considered brutal and inhumane, while the representations and societal strategies found post-world war II could be regarded as less hostile and more benevolent whilst still at times stereotypical and oppressive. Despite certain positive changes regarding the representation of the Romani people and more humane suggested strategies for dealing with the group, the interests of the Romani people nevertheless remain secondary to the interest of the ruling elite, who above all aim to maintain power and establish order in society. Our ambition with this research is to contribute to a more extensive understanding of how the Romani people have been portrayed historically. In addition, we hope that the use of, in the subject area, new theoretical framework can contribute to new insights regarding the political elite and media´s influence on shaping the general population´s perception of ethnic minorities in society.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hh-43889 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Larsson, August, Karlsson, Carolina |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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