The marginal existence and social problems of Roma in Norway are often seen as intrinsically connected to their culture and ethnic identity. In this article, I show how this thinking contributes to relegate the Roma of today to an imaginary past. The Roma are pushed into a particular time loop; although they have in fact developed alongside the rest of society for a long time, contemporary discourses try to force them back to a pre-modern starting point. This has political implications, since it construes Roma culture as inherently backward and in practice denies the Roma a legitimate place in contemporary Norwegian (and global) society. It also obscures the Roma’s very existence as an ethnic group.
展开▼
