ABSTRACT
The Roma1 in Central and Eastern Europe, as in other parts of Europe where they have settled during the past six hundred years, are commonly seen as a marginalised or excluded people. They have experienced a long history of oppression, at its worst during the Second World War, when they were the second-largest ethnic group to suffer Nazi genocide. In the post-Second World War period, in several socialist states they have been subject to forced resettlement. With the end of communism, the Roma have fitted uneasily with new conceptions of national identity and have been the frequent targets of racist attacks. Thus their marginal status has been confirmed under very different political regimes but, in this chapter, I will suggest that the concept of marginality in relation to the Roma is problematic. The label ‘marginal’ masks a complex relationship between the Roma and the larger society. This relationship needs to be examined more critically if we are to understand how the status of the Roma populations in Eastern and Central Europe is changing as both the demands and the supports provided by the state are removed and Gypsies adjust to the market economy. I begin by reviewing two contrasting models of social change and then, drawing on literature (principally from Hungary) and on my own observations, I will suggest how the Roma have been forced to the edge while, at the same time, retaining their ability to shape their own economic and social relationships with the outside.
