Kriget med mig själv Om romer och tillhörighet i migrationens Sverige

Abstract

At war with myself. On Roma and belonging in multi­ethnic Sweden is article deals with belonging in multi-ethnic Sweden, with a focus on the boundaries and meanings of belonging. e focus is on the situation of Roma in Sweden. e point of departure is the individual story of Ana, a young woman who has migrated to Sweden from Hungary. Ana’s story about her migration, her struggles to nd her way and become part of a Swedish societal community is illustrative in terms of (non)belonging, about not being recognized for who you are and not recognizing yourself. e story illustrates some of the inner and societal tensions appea- ring in an era of migration. In the article, Ana’s story is used to discuss a double paradox of citizenship in an era of migration: As a Swedish citizen, she formally belongs to the societal community. At the same time, she does not quite belong to the community, as she was born a ”foreigner” – a Roma. Firstly, Ana’s ways of dealing with the tensions caused by her di erent ”belongings” – as a Swede, Hungarian and Roma – are presented. Secondly, a brief historical expose? of the situation of Roma in Sweden is provided, illustrating a dark history of repression and exclusion. is dark history is related to Frantz Fanon’s thoughts about the colonial situation in Africa and the impli- cations of the colonial fantasies for the colonized ”black people”, which are then used as a point of departure to further analyse Ana’s contradictory story about (non)belonging to a Swedish socie- tal community. irdly, Ana’s story is related to the situation of Roma in today’s Europe, where Roma EU migrants such as berry-pickers and beggars have in recent years been the targets of discrimination and deportation. e article concludes with a discussion on the situation of Roma in the light of ongoing negotiations of belonging in contemporary Europe.