The power of group stigmatisation: wealthy Roma, urban space and strategies of defence in post-socialist Romania

Recent research on Roma stigmatisation has tended to focus on the marginal socioeconomic and spatial position of Roma within European societies with poverty, persistent inequalities and sub-standard housing conditions (e.g. ghettoization) emphasised in highlighting their differential treatment. Central to such accounts are group images and stereotypes of Roma as "benefit scroungers" and/or "beggars" lacking notions of self-restraint and social responsibility. This body of research is hugely important in contributing to an understanding of the complex dynamics of marginalization and stigmatisation for poor Roma households. Yet not all Roma are characterised by poverty and economic hardship. This paper explores the neglected experiences of wealthy Roma within urban spaces in Romania. It draws on empirical evidence from interviews with Roma families, leaders and local authorities. Our analysis exposes the way in which Roma are vehemently stigmatised regardless of their economic position or housing circumstances and highlights deep, underlying sentiments towards them within wider Romanian society. We critique Wacquant's concept of territorial stigmatisation in applying it to wealthy groups outwith typical areas of relegation (e.g. Roma ghettos) within the specific urban context of post-socialist Romania. While our analysis points to the internalization of stigma, we also identify distinct defensive strategies employed by wealthy Roma in countering and avoiding stigmatisation. We suggest that a focus on the neglected spaces of wealthy Roma groups can: facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the distinct urban power relations that shape Roma stigmatisation; reveal how this long-term process has recently been accentuated within Europe alongside a more overt populist, anti-Roma political agenda; and contribute to the development and refinement of Wacquant’s thesis.