The associations are all we have”. Comparative study of the romani associationism and ethnic mobilization in Spain and Colombia
- Autores: Anna Maria Mirga Kruszelnicka
- Directores de la Tesis: Silvia Carrasco Pons (dir. tes.), Ábel Bereményi (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ( España ) en 2016
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Iulius Rostas (presid.), Ana Giménez Adelantado (secret.), David Lagunas Arias (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Antropología Social y Cultural
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: TDX
- Resumen
The objective of this thesis is to explore the nature of ethnic mobilization, its underlying dynamics, the characteristic elements that compose it and to assess how the political environment (associated with emerging and shifting political opportunities) influences the birth and development of ethnic movements. In order to do so, I developed a comparative study of Romani associative movement in two different geographical locations – Spain and Colombia.
In an attempt to overcome the existing theoretical divisions, as a means of simplification and synthesis I developed a theoretical-analytical model which allowed me to operationalize the concept of ethic mobilization for analytical purposes. In this process, I established five key elements which compose ethnic mobilization and which I treat as macro-variables. Breaking down the concept of ethnic mobilization into these ingredients enables a detailed analysis of relevant elements in a more transparent way, at the same time allowing for an insight into relationships which these components establish between each other in a rather dynamic manner. Furthermore, a major contribution of this model lies in conceptualizing ethnic mobilization as a complex, dynamic and multi-level process which takes place in multiple directions, namely: internal mobilization (towards the constituencies), external sideways mobilization (targeting allies and bystanders) and external upward mobilization (targeting the opponent, mostly the State).
This comparative and inter-disciplinary investigation is based on case studies and draws from a multi-sited ethnography approach. During field-work in Colombia and Spain, I relied mainly on qualitative methods and incorporated elements of ethnography, observing patterns of leadership and representation, on the intersection of public and private spheres among Romani actors of ethnic mobilization vis-a-vis un-associated members of the Romani community.
This thesis is divided into eight chapters. In the first chapter I present initial reflections. In the second chapter, I provide insight into the concepts and their underlying theoretical conceptualization of the key terms relevant for the object of study. I provide an initial framing of Romani activism, to situate my discussion in what I consider as expressions of Romani ethnic mobilization. I also outline the theoretical-analytical model. In chapter three, I outline my methodology and research design, describe in detail the process of field-work and provide an insight into the process of data analysis and triangulation. In chapter four I “set the scene” by produce the necessary description of a broad and complex environment in Europe and Latin America, which allows to situate specific case-studies of Romani ethnic mobilization to in a wider context. Chapters five and six present the findings from the case-studies in Spain and Colombia, respectively. I provide empirical evidence, discuss and contextualize my findings with regards to Romani ethnic mobilization. Both chapters have a similar composition in which I discuss the actors and structures of Romani ethnic mobilization, the frames of collective identity and collective interests, strategies of collective action and the question of timing and external factors conditioning the phenomenon of ethnic mobilization. Chapter seven is dedicated to discussing my findings from both case-studies from a comparative perspective, by identifying similarities, synergies and differences as well as their causes; I also discuss my contributions to the field with regards to the understanding of ethnic mobilization as a multi-directional process. The final chapter, I recapitulate the findings and conclusions of this dissertation, providing a brief synthesis. I also consider the possible academic and social impact of my research and outline the potential future lines of research.
