Newsletter "Living Equality" No.1, January 2008

1. Editorial: Fighting Bigotry

WHAT IS ANTIZIGANISM?

In German, Sinti and Roma are derogatorily referred to as Zigeuner (gypsies). Zigeuner is a problematic term because it evokes the notion of Zieh-Gauner or “itinerant crook.” And this notion is at the core of Antizisganism: mainstream society perceives the Sinti and Roma as “foreign” and “strange” in terms of not being sedentary and thus not trustworthy either. Xenophobia, the fear and hatred of strangers and foreigners is one aspect of “group-focused enmity” and in this case the category under which Antiziganism may be subsumed. It is a type of bias, however, that has not been considered on its own in the long-term study on “Group-focused Enmity.” There are certainly several parallels to Antisemitism---such as the accusation against both Sinti and Roma and Jews that they are “rootless” peoples---but since Antiziganism is a centuries-old phenomenon of its own, it is the focus of this issue.

“MOMENTS OF REFLECTION“

Prejudices, hatred and hostility against the Roma and Sinti are very old and deeply rooted in the culture of mainstream society. These notions are transported for example in “pictures of Gypsies,” whether with positive or negative connotation. In the cybernetic age we could talk of “attachments,” that is, of messages that are appended to the minority—and that to such an extent that the whole group is identified with the message. To “frame someone” is an expression that is used to talk about showing something or someone in a particular manner, usually negatively. Whatever is attributed to the Roma and Sinti is something that originally does not have anything to do with the Roma and Sinti, but as a consequence of the “framing” comes to adhere to them like a tag or an indelible stigma. The causes and the motives for such framing or stigmatization have to do with those who discriminate and stigmatize, not with those who are stigmatized. In an interview with mut-gegen-rechte-gewalt.de, Egon Schweiger from the Regional Association of German Sinti and Roma in Baden-Württemberg provides background information about his work in the context of the Network for “Living Equality.” He calls for "moments of reflection“ in the fight against prejudice.

You may find the complete interview under:
http://www.mut-gegen-rechte-gewalt.de/debatte/interviews/antiziganismus/

GERMAN CONDITIONS Volume 6

On December 17th Surkamp Verlag published the sixth volume in the series Deutsche Zustände (“German Conditions”). The series explores different aspects of “group-focused enmity”. The new volume concentrates on the discrimination of the socially disadvantaged such as the long-term unemployed. It discusses as well the social and political factors that play a role in the creation of inequality and bigotry. This volume focuses in particular on the ways in which utilitarian thinking comes to pervade thinking about society, to the extent that some members of society are labelled economically “useless” and thus worthless. The empirical analyses are complemented in the volume by case stories and reports that identify strategies for facilitating equality. There is also a photo essay about “Visible Inequality.”

WWW.LIVING-EQUALITY.ORG

The Network for "Living Equality“ now has its own website: www.living-equality.org. On the site, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation presents each project, its particular methodology, and the results of their work. The main projects as well as important results will be presented in this occasional series. The next issue will focus on the question: what can be done at the communal level to strengthen an orientation towards equality.