What is Antiziganism/Anti Romani sentiment?
(Aka: Anti-Romani sentiment, Anti-Roma sentiment, Anti-Gypsyism, Romaphobia, Romamisia)
Antiziganism or anti-Gypsyism, is the particular racist structure, ideology and hostile prejudice targeted at Roma. It seeks to dehumanise, alienate and drive away Roma precisely because they are Roma. Antiziganism infringes the principle of equal value and equal rights. It is based on seeing people as being of unequal value and contributes towards an unequal distribution of power and resources.
Antiziganist prejudices often concern stereotypical assumptions about Roma being thieves, particularly unreliable or rude. These attitudes affect Roma in their daily lives through the hostility they encounter in public spaces.
What particularly makes antiziganism stand out is that it is largely seen as being legitimate. People who are accused of discrimination against Roma may exclaim in surprise: “But they were Gypsies!” as if this were reason enough for their behaviour. Antiziganism is widespread in society and affects Roma, among other things, through extensive discrimination in every area of society, marginalisation and vulnerability to hate crime.
Disclaimer: I am not the sole arbiter of what is/isn't antiziganism and I do NOT speak for all Roma. I am a Romanichal person and do not experience colorism and live in a country where Roma are less known than others. This blog is simply to raise awareness of Anti-Romani sentiment especially on US dominated website.
Disclaimer 2: I have a job, family and a chronic illness to manage outside of this blog.
I use any pronouns and I am 27 years old. I am mixed Romanichal and queer.
All topics that include triggering or adult content will be tagged as such. Please use caution when discussing or viewing these topics.
This blog will also reblog/post general Romani content including news, history, positivity and more.
If you would like to submit an example of Anti-Romani sentiment/Antiziganism or ask if something qualifies as such, feel free to do so in the ask box.
Examples of Antiziganism/Anti Romani sentiment:
Assuming that a Romani person is automatically in some way “magical” or does/is interested in some form of fortune telling
Saying the word “Gypsy” if you are non-Roma
Denying a Romani person’s beliefs or convictions on the basis of them being “woo” or “delusional”, or discounting their significance to Romani culture because they're practiced by other groups.
Homogenizing the diverse and complex tapestry of Romani experiences and groups down to what is the most stereotypical or popular portrayal
Creating stereotypical Romani characters who are violent, greedy, patriarchal, exotic + overly sexualized or scammers in stereotypical clothing especially fetishized clothing that often overlaps with orientalist portrayals due to the association of Roma with the Middle East and Egypt
Dressing up as a “gypsy fortune teller” with a coin headband/scarf, medieval dress and a crystal ball, or similar anti-Romani caricatures
Policing whether Roma can or can not reclaim words used against them, especially “Gypsy”. Many Roma consider the word Gypsy to be a self identifier, sometimes moreso than Roma.
Claiming tarot to be a closed practice or invented by Roma. This is a claim that the creator of the tarot deck we use today made in order to add some kind of exotic mysticism.
Calling Romani people wholly white even if they are mixed or white passing. Categorically this is untrue and from Romania all the way to the UK this claim is leveraged against Romani people to justify taking away government protections and to defend discrimination of and oppression against them.
Fake-claiming due to appearance. Romani people are an incredibly diverse and widespread ethnic group with subgroups all across the world, no two of us look the same even within families.
Claiming that Romani people are “just Indian” and should call themselves Indian. While our origins over 1000 years ago stem back to north India and Pakistan, saying we are “just Indian” is to deny us our unique identity and culture as a stateless people.
Expecting Roma to have a full family tree and DNA test results to “prove” they’re Roma.
Mistaking Irish Travelers or Pavee, an Indigenous Irish group, with Romani people.
Fake-claiming a Romani person for their appearance, culture or ability to speak their language.
Using specific cultural elements within Romani subgroups against Roma to try and further our oppression. For example: Using the fact that some families practice arranged marriages to discriminate against all Roma.
These are not the only examples, but are are a few obvious ones.
@this-is-transandrophobia