The Opening-up of Political Space via the Concepts of ‘Antidiscrimination’ and ‘Social Inclusion’

Contact: Dr Wolfgang Zellner

This PhD project was concerned with the question of how the overlapping political categories “Gypsies” and “Roma” are constructed in the discourse of the institutions of the European Union. It traces the development over time of the discourse of EU institutions on “Gypsies”/“Roma” and considers how political space was and continues to be opened up through this process.

Based on documents published by EU institutions as well as interviews with members of the European Parliament, officials from the EU Commission and representatives of NGOs conducted during May 2004 in Brussels, the project analyses continuities and discontinuities in the EU discourse on Roma since the European Community first touched upon the issue in the 1970s. For the purpose of the analysis, the category of “Roma” is not taken as an unchallenged starting point for further consideration, as this would mean following the “realism of the group” (R. Brubaker) as applied by political actors. “Instead of taking categories of practice as categories of analysis” (R. Brubaker), the research project explores in detail the process of constructing this category and uncovers the relevance of language in this process. To achieve this, the research concentrates on constitutive assumptions underlying the discourse and interpretative patterns guiding it.

The project builds on some of the author’s studies on national minorities and international organizations’ responses to problems arising in this field. It ended in 2006.

The PhD project was conducted by Dr Katrin Simhandl within the framework of the PhD programme of the IFSH and sponsored by the German Foundation for Peace Research. It ended in 2006.