Papers by ada ingrid engebrigtsen
The aim of this paper is to discuss 1) the position of “the expert” between a population of Roma,... more The aim of this paper is to discuss 1) the position of “the expert” between a population of Roma, local politicians, volunteer “do-gooders” and the media, and 2) the strategic options for the Roma population in such cases of moral and physical “clashes of interests”. The case at hand is my own participation, as an actor and an observer, in the media debate that has taken place during the last five years concerning migrant Roma beggars and street peddlers in Norway, with last summer’s debate as a preliminary top. The theme of the paper is threefold: (1.) An empirical presentation of the discussions and reactions from different social actors to the appearance of begging, playing and peddling Roma in the streets of Norwegian cities and villages. (2.) An analysis of the positions taken by the different actors in this “play” with special focus on the “expert middleman”. (3.) An analysis of the roles and strategies the Roma may use to defend their interests. The distinction between strategy and tactics will be of interest in the final analysis. The paper uses Norway and Romania only as cases to discuss a more general question.
The paper discusses the Norwegian response to the new migrants, predominantly Romanian Roma, that... more The paper discusses the Norwegian response to the new migrants, predominantly Romanian Roma, that beg in the streets all over Norway. The paper rests on long periods of fieldwork and contact with Romanian Roma in Romania and Norway. The claim is that these beggars- or street working migrants – challenge conceptual and emotional borders by demonstrating the permeable national borders in the EU-system and by breaching tacit arrangements and agreements in the use of space. The street-working Romanians also challenge the deeply felt Norwegian work ethic, even if it is known that they are not eligible for the work force. The argument is that the beggars` street activities such as displaying their private family life on pavements, in parks and in open vehicles and by dropping their garbage anywhere, counter-act citizen’s locality production. Bauman’s notion of “the courtesy of city life” implies that people wear social masks in public thus freeing each other from deeper engagement. The response by citizens is, however, diverse. From open charity to hate-utterances on social media and sometimes in the press. Authorities are in a double-bind situation; how to keep ones image as a humanitarian state and at the same time ban these expressions of poverty?
This paper will discuss the rationale of a group of Norwegian Roma who have resisted the governme... more This paper will discuss the rationale of a group of Norwegian Roma who have resisted the government’s attempts to educate them since the early 1960s. Behind the scenes these Roma claim that a school education is irrelevant for their children yet, when faced with school authorities, they comply. The authorities have used different approaches to promote education for Rom children however, their success is questionable. So what is at stake here? What is wrong with education from the Roma’s point of view and how do the authorities respond? This article opens with a presentation of the history and background of the Norwegian Roma. It then presents the Norwegian system of public primary and lower secondary education and their attempts to accommodate Rom children. It critically examines the concept of education and the unquestioned and self-evident understanding of schooling as a liberating force per se. It further makes use of Bourdieu’s analysis of symbolic capital and habitus and discusses the Roma’s resistance to education and why symbolic capital developed through public school education is not converted to the Rom field.
This article discusses the relationship between nomadic people and the figure of the nomad in a E... more This article discusses the relationship between nomadic people and the figure of the nomad in a European context. Based on a discussion of the presence of the figure of the nomad in European folk imaginary and in the social sciences, from Pierre Clastres's (1977. Society against the state. New York: Urizen) work on stateless societies, to Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy of Nomadology (1986. Nomadology. New York: Semiotex(e)) and Braidotti's (1994. Nomadic subjects. Embodiment and sexual difference in contemporary feminist theory. New York: Columbia University Press) nomadic feminism, the article employs a ‘nomadic’ perspective on ethnographic work of mobile people. It argues that ideas contrasting the nomadic and the state can be put to use for epistemological purposes.
There is an ongoing public discussion in Norway concerning the state’s control of family life. Mi... more There is an ongoing public discussion in Norway concerning the state’s control of family life. Minority groups and migrants have complained about actions taken by the Child Care Services to remove their children and place them in Norwegian foster-homes. This chapter takes up this discussion by focusing on Roma childhood in Norway, its conflict with the hegemonic Norwegian Childhood regime and the impact on this conflict on Roma families. My argument being that in spite of the national and international conventions for the protection of children and minorities, Roma children in Norway are the victims of state discrimination and abuse. The Rom community in Norway is small and vulnerable to assimilatory projects. Since their arrival in Norway in the late 19th century, they have been subject to exclusion, discrimination and to more recent assimilatory programs. The kin-based, strongly incorporated community resist assimilation by resisting education, wage labour, and economic control. Since the 1970 there has been a conflict between this community and the authorities that in the last decade has been strengthened by the Child Care Services (CCS). An unknown, but rising number of Roma children have been taken into public custody and placed in Norwegian foster-homes. Siblings are generally split and placed on secret addresses. In 1999 the Norwegian Roma were granted the status of National minority, protected under the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of National minorities. Fully acknowledging the authority of the state to interfere to protect children from abuse, this chapter contests the basis and the strategy of the present state interference. The argument of this discussion is that by placing minority children and particularly Roma in Norwegian foster-homes with little or no contact with their families they not only lose their natal families, they lose their community their mother-tongue, their religion and with all that their chances to reunite with their kin. This is an example of state abuse and a violation of the European Convention for the Protection of minorities.
The relationship between authorities represented by CCS and the small Rom population in Norway is paradigmatic for three reasons: 1)Norway is a highly developed welfare society with a Childhood regime that sets standards for other countries in the world, and the Rom population is very small and vulnerable to political manipulation. This relationship can serve as a laboratory for how the protection of minorities and the rights of the child may combine to serve children in context. 2) The growing awareness of the cultural and economic marginalization of Roma in Europe and the political demand that countries integrate their Rom populations also makes Norwegian experiences important. 3) Apart from Roma, a growing number of foreign citizens living in Norway as well as citizens with immigrant backgrounds complain of what they call abduction of their children by Norwegian authorities (CCS). Foreign governments such as the Russian and Indian have also launched complaints.
Ethnic and Racial studies, 2006
This article discusses the use of ‘social capital’ as a methodological approach to the situation ... more This article discusses the use of ‘social capital’ as a methodological approach to the situation of two different minority groups in Norway, the Sri Lankan-Tamil and the Somali. It argues that although there are important differences between the two groups with respect to social networks and, therefore, with respect to social capital, the current conceptualization of this term has weaknesses. In particular there is a need to incorporate the various forms of transnational connections and the different “cultural grammars” underlying the lives of people in exile into our explanatory models.
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2007
Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2006
... reads: 'The Tamil people in Norway develop the Tamil language, the religions, education,... more ... reads: 'The Tamil people in Norway develop the Tamil language, the religions, education, culture, and social ... View all references, p. 142), Hinduism is a religion concerned with place ... integrative effect of the 'aristocratic scheme' is very much present in the Tamil diaspora, and that ...
Child & Family Social Work, 2003
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2011
In this article I address the tension—experienced by many young migrants—between pursuing individ... more In this article I address the tension—experienced by many young migrants—between pursuing individual goals and dreams for the future in Norwegian society, and fulfilling their responsibilities to family, kin and ethnic community. The discussion starts with the story of Ali, a young Somali boy who was sent abroad by his relatives in Norway to look after an aunt in Italy. The discussion centres around three issues. The first concerns the nomadic habitus and its relation to person, space and place; the second is about how space and self are constructed in the Norwegian welfare discourse of integration; and the third explores the overlapping expectations and interests implied in these different ways of structuring individuality and collectivity. The article concludes by emphasising the importance of considering both collective and individual motives, drives and responsibilities in analysing the lives of young migrants.
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Papers by ada ingrid engebrigtsen
The relationship between authorities represented by CCS and the small Rom population in Norway is paradigmatic for three reasons: 1)Norway is a highly developed welfare society with a Childhood regime that sets standards for other countries in the world, and the Rom population is very small and vulnerable to political manipulation. This relationship can serve as a laboratory for how the protection of minorities and the rights of the child may combine to serve children in context. 2) The growing awareness of the cultural and economic marginalization of Roma in Europe and the political demand that countries integrate their Rom populations also makes Norwegian experiences important. 3) Apart from Roma, a growing number of foreign citizens living in Norway as well as citizens with immigrant backgrounds complain of what they call abduction of their children by Norwegian authorities (CCS). Foreign governments such as the Russian and Indian have also launched complaints.
The relationship between authorities represented by CCS and the small Rom population in Norway is paradigmatic for three reasons: 1)Norway is a highly developed welfare society with a Childhood regime that sets standards for other countries in the world, and the Rom population is very small and vulnerable to political manipulation. This relationship can serve as a laboratory for how the protection of minorities and the rights of the child may combine to serve children in context. 2) The growing awareness of the cultural and economic marginalization of Roma in Europe and the political demand that countries integrate their Rom populations also makes Norwegian experiences important. 3) Apart from Roma, a growing number of foreign citizens living in Norway as well as citizens with immigrant backgrounds complain of what they call abduction of their children by Norwegian authorities (CCS). Foreign governments such as the Russian and Indian have also launched complaints.