Romanes. Rappresentazioni sociali e relazioni

The essay outlines the characteristics of the social representation of the Romanes in relation to Simmel’s theory of the spatial system. It is not possible to apply the features that delimit space (exclusiveness, fixation, borders), but only those that are tied to its ambivalence (closeness and distance, moving from place to place) that define the social figure both of the foreigner and the nomad to the social figure of Sinti and Romanes. Furthermore, the different disposition of a roaming nature in regard to space tends to generate tensions and conflicts with components that acknowledge consolidated territorial and state assets. The representation also influences the system of relations and the Romanes settlements, which are confined in «non spaces», foreign to city morphologies and without relationships, invisible but menacing territories. Within these, however, families build up history, memory, and relationships in conditions of alienation and difficulty.

Roberta Cipollini, Romanes. Rappresentazioni sociali e relazioni in "SOCIOLOGIA E RICERCA SOCIALE " 92/2010, pp 34-53, DOI: 10.3280/SRS2010-092002