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The Ambiguity of the Roma Camps: Framing Co-optation

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Temporary Camps, Enduring Segregation

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology ((PSEPS))

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Abstract

This chapter argues that the ambiguity of the Roma camps has facilitated the co-optation of pro-Roma associations. The first part of the chapter discusses the relationship between ambiguity, policy-making and institutional camps, and then focusses on how this ambiguity emerged in Rome. By drawing on policy documents and interviews, the following part scrutinises the ambivalent policy design of the camps, characterised by unclear policy goals and temporal duration, and by an undefined target population. The final section of the chapter unpicks the effects of institutional ambiguity on the framing strategies of subcontracted associations, often accused of contradictorily operating in-between Roma advocacy and compliance with segregation. However, subcontractors draw on this ambiguousness to develop a wide array of discursive strategies that reconcile their work in the camps with the goals of Roma inclusion, which facilitates the persistence of this ghettoisation.

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  1. School of Media, Communication and Sociology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Gaja Maestri

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Maestri, G. (2019). The Ambiguity of the Roma Camps: Framing Co-optation. In: Temporary Camps, Enduring Segregation . Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03736-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03736-9_4

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