Social Exclusion and Contestation: the Situation Related to the Gypsy People of Britain - Research Paper Example

Introduction Exclusion and contestation are two concepts that personalises the idea of discrimination and isolation of people of certain castes and origins because of their culture and racial features. This culminates in a system whereby a certain class of people are zoned to live in a given area or community. Due to this, such persons do not get to socialise with members of the mainstream society and this leads to the creation of a distinctive culture and sometimes some negative traits that causes the people to live within a limited scope and a limited lifestyle that keeps them in an inappropriate situation that retards their progress. The purpose of this project is to examine the politics of exclusion and contestation involving Gypsies and travellers and the relevant debates that come with it. This includes the review and analysis of important matters and situations that come together to define the trends and processes of these different classes of people. The paper will be done in two main parts. The first part will involve a critical review of concepts and ideas relating to exclusion and contestation. This will bring to the fore important ideas and concepts that relate to the context within which the research will be done. The second part of the study will involve the critical evaluation of debates and matters relating to exclusion of Gypsies and Travellers in various cities around Europe. The important newspaper and media reportages on the matter will be analysed and reviewed in order to draw conclusions on the patterns and processes relating to these ideas and concepts. Literature Review Constructivism in every society sets forth patterns and boundaries for determining the scope and limits of every group of people[Goo12]. In a fascinating statement, Adolph Reed identifies that “race does not arise from biology; ethnicity does not arise from culture; religion does not arise from spiritual belief; class does not arise from material conditions. Instead, these categories are constituted by politics and by the particular historical processes that have organized access to power in ways that forge boundaries of exclusion and selective inclusion”[Ree02] This statement above indicates that social stratification in the society is determined by the creation of various conscious and unconscious boundaries that segregates the society into various classes and groups. This can be done by first defining the culture of a country or community and based on this there could be the inclusion and exclusion of certain people in the society[Sch121]. Once there is exclusion, there is contestation for inclusion. Some authorities assert that inter-group communication is tantamount to cross-cultural contestation because it involves the clash of cultures and the review of different views and ideas in order to create a thesis and antithesis before a synthesis could be drawn[Ros09]. This leads to conflicts that are played out in various ways and processes for the achievement of recognition and acceptance in different parts of the world. Geography is created through the blend of political, economic and social factors and this implies that the idea of exclusion and inclusion has a major place in Human Geography as a discipline[Gra121]. Exclusion and social difference comes up in geography through the concept of zoning and the location of different people in different parts of a given area or community[Hub14]. Power relations come to play and this determines views on location accessibility, associations with location and practice. Thus, the idea of space and location helps to define the extent to which different groups and persons are zoned and put in places[Gal12]. Most forms of discrimination include the pricing of buildings and offering of accommodation to certain different classes and groups of people in society[Lig10]. The creation of distinctive zones in cities around the world leads to specific areas that are distinctively linked to certain classes of people and other areas that have mixed areas or areas of contestation[Lam12]. In the homogenous zones of a given country or community, things are done within a context of a small or distinct culture. However, in mixed areas, there are numerous signs and elements that sets different people apart in different situations and matters relating to politics, social and economic activities or processes. “Gypsies and Travellers are also highly visible as a racialised or pariah group.”[Ric121]. The Gypsies have always been seen as a ‘foreign’ group in most European countries. They became victims of the Nazi Party’s Holocaust in the 1940s and they have not been fully integrated into any European country, primarily due to geographical exclusion policies and other political matters or issues[Ric121]. “The mistrust, fear, and rejection of mainstream society have contributed to the formation of certain Gypsies and Travellers cultural identities”[Ric121]. Therefore, most non-Gypsies in Europe tend to want neighbourhoods that have no Gypsies living within them and these are often unconscious and non-definite boundaries that keep away people from Gypsies and Travellers[Smi13]. Some writers also argue that Gypsies have a more relaxed attitude towards dirt and they do not enjoy the same kind of desire for collectivised living as other peoples in Europe[Hil11]. This means they prefer to live as individuals in various sections of society and have not had a collective bargaining situation as African-Americans in the United States or Jews around the world might have done to get better considerations for defining their peoplehood and integration into cities they live within. Others identify that the scattered nature of Gypsies make it impossible for them to assert their own national or collective identity[Lop121]. Irish Travellers have also been segregated and seen as a group of nomadic people in the UK and other parts of the world[Gra121]. Therefore, they are a vulnerable population that is often treated negatively in terms of social exclusion as well as in the negative sense when it comes to contestation. Critical Analysis This section of the paper critiques important elements and aspects of exclusion and contestation that relates to the British Gypsy population and how they are trying to integrate into the society. This will include the critical review of important ideas and concepts relating to the theories identified in the literature review. For each article that will be critiqued, the political, social and economic placement of the Gypsies as it is presented in the newspaper article will be analysed and reviewed in order to examine how the Gypsy population is positioned. Also, elements of this inclusion and exclusion issue will be evaluated and assessed in order to find important synthesis on how it is done and how it is conducted in order to provide an opinion on the social exclusion and contestation of the Gypsy people in Britain. Birmingham school opens for Gypsies and excluded pupils[BBC13] The BBC is known for being a major representation of Britain both locally and internationally. In fact the BBC is known as a source of truth and verifiable information in most countries in the British Commonwealth. This brings to question why they will come up with such a headline. Why is this newsworthy? These are fundamental questions that provide clues to this. Perhaps an interesting highlight that answers this is a short statement by Damien Les Bas on the page which states that “People forget that in the 1960s lots of schools wouldn't accept traveller children”. This shows that there was a conscious policy and a conscious view by schools in the UK to refuse to open up their doors to Gypsy and Traveller children. This position is particularly worrying because one would assert that children do not know anything about the way things are done in their home. And education is the best way to get them to build better lives. In reality, this was not the case since most White British parents had serious mistrust for the Gypsy people. The average British thought that the Gypsy was a thief and a negative person whose child could influence their children in the negative sense[Hil11] . This therefore shows that they were inherently excluded and banned from entering most schools. The article announces that the school in question is opened for Gypsy children, particularly those with “challenging” behaviours. And it goes on to say there are as many as 900 Gypsy children in the school. By no coincidence, the school is built with a capacity to admit and train 1,000 children. This shows that the school is purposefully built for these Roma children. The reason given for the creation of the school is that it will help to train the Gypsy and Roma children for whom English is a foreign language. In relation to contestation, this is problematic because it seem to be a segregated system that asserts that Roma children can only be trained in a “special” environment. This brings to bear the politics of exclusion and the potential for contestation in this situation and context. Truth about the Romanian beggars of Park Lane, The Telegraph[Men13] This article highlights the role of Roma and Gypsies in London as beggars in high-end areas and neighbourhoods like West End. It shows how these Gypsies live by begging and undertaking petty crime and the discussions begin by showing that some of these Gypsies were deported from Britain and this pleased large sections of the British public. This shows that there are major issues that isolate this small minority from the mainstream society and shows how they, alongside Irish Travellers are seen to be a second class of people who have no means of integrating and settling into the mainstream British society. From their submissions, some of the Gypsies are said to be very happy with their lives as beggars in London with some of them earning as much as £100 a day. This shows that the Gypsies were making a lucrative living in the UK but in a very unique and distinct existence. Although the article does not mention the word “Gypsy” or “Traveller”, it can be inferred that the focus is on a small section of Romania and the nomad class of people in Britain. The pictures of the people interviewed in the article are pictures of persons who are classically Gypsy in facial and bodily features. A lot of the persons interviewed in the article in Romania intend to move to Britain to beg on the streets. They also present views of British nationals who think such Gypsies and Travellers are abusing their rights to freedom of movement under EU Laws. This shows clear social exclusion and contestation of their worldview in the country. Too many Gypsies and Travellers end up in prison – this must be addressed, The Guardian[Cor14] This article begins by presenting statistics that shows clearly that Gypsies, Romani and Irish Travellers are highly over-represented in British jails. This class of people who form less than 0.1% of the population of Britain are 5% of the prison population is alarming. This shows that they are excluded because they are seen as a menace to society and as such, the society has chosen to keep them in prison to prevent them from integrating any further into the British society. The writer presents other evidence like the life expectancy of these people being 12 years below the national average amongst other indicators. The writer therefore puts forward some suggestions on how to improve the integration of these people into mainstream British society. They identify that the British society will have to invest more in education in these communities so that the children of such Gypsies will get the chance to learn, gain an education and become important members of the society who can carry out their activities. The writer also identifies that the prisons are not well equipped to help the incarcerated Gypsies and Travellers to learn basic elements and aspects of literacy. Hence, these people go to jail and they learn nothing new. Unlike the United States where prisoners can learn basic skills and vocations, the Gypsy and Traveller population of prisoners in Britain get little or no education in prison. Hence, they come back from jail with no ability to earn money in an honest manner. They therefore get into a cycle of reoffending and go back into jail. This marks a process whereby Gypsies and Travellers are always put in jail and they fail to make any reasonable impact on life because they are generally excluded. Exclusion and contestation in this part of the British society indicates that the people are not allowed to settle or integrate into any particular society. Rather, they turn to a life of crime because they do not get education. Hence, the article is asking for more contestation of the existing framework through the creation of measures that will allow the Gypsy and Traveller population to earn an honest living and build a better life that will be socially more stable. Parents claim children are being terrorised by gangs of Roma Slovak pupils but teachers are 'too afraid' to deal with the issue, Daily Mail[Bro04] This article tends to highlight and focus on a case relating to a situation that justifies the exclusion of Gypsies from the mainstream British society. It shows that many Roma gangs and groups have come up with various acts that target young teenage school children in the city of Sheffield. This is fundamentally because these Gypsy groups and gangs target these children to become partners with them in crime and other illegal activities. Hence, the newspaper reports that groups of parents and families of children have petitioned the authorities of the school and other stakeholders in order to get them to act on the matter. However, obviously due to the fear that such authorities could be labelled as negative people who might seek to exclude these Roma and Gypsy people, such persons have desisted from raising the issue and addressing it. Therefore, the article seeks to provide awareness on the situation in order to force the authorities to act to avert the negativities and the issues relating to these attacks and mugging that occurs in the communities and the areas around them. This creates some kind of awareness on the social contestation matter relating to the Roma and Gypsy people. Clearly, the Roma are being excluded in many ways and forms. And this kind of episode makes it almost impossible for such persons and such communities to integrate. Hence, the article’s focus is on discussing the challenges relating to the fact that the Gypsies are in a negative situation and in a negative light when it comes to considering them for integration. This shows an obvious conflict that relates to the Gypsies and how they are being integrated or accepted into the mainstream British society. This is a testament to the fact that the Romas are viewed in a negative light and this prevents them from being accepted and given their rightful place in the society. Gypsies claim they have been excluded from carrying the Olympic torch, Daily Star[War12] In this article, the writer presents another debate and another aspect of social exclusion and contestation that occurs in the situation related to the Gypsy people of Britain. In this article, John Ward identifies that the Gypsy community, which is made up of 8,000 people is a small minority in the UK, however, since the purpose of the London Olympics was to bring together British people of all backgrounds including minorities, there would have been the need for all the different groups including Gypsies to be represented in a conscious effort by the organizers to get a Gypsy representative to carry the torch. Failure to do so implies that the London Olympics Committee was consciously excluding Gypsies from their list of peoples who could take part in the carrying of the torch. During the quest for explanation or contestation of the position taken by the London Olympics organizers, they stated that they had a wide array of nominations and this led to the need to shortlist a few people. This shows that there was some kind of explanation to support the exclusion of the Roma population from participating in the process. However, the article also cites the fact that the Gypsy community presented a tireless volunteer who could have the competency and the background necessary to be shortlisted and included in the entire process. This provides the basis for the review of the current situation in order to identify if Romas, Gypsies and Travellers are genuinely excluded from mainstream British society or not. Bibliography Goo12: , (Goodin & Tilly, 2012), Ree02: , (Reed, 2002, p. 269), Sch121: , (Schwarz & West-Pavlov, 2012), Ros09: , (Ross, 2009), Gra121: , (Graham, 2012), Hub14: , (Hubbard, Kitchin, & Valentine, 2014), Gal12: , (Gallaher, Dahlman, Gilmartin, Mountz, & Shirlo, 2012), Lig10: , (Light & Smith, 2010), Lam12: , (Lambert & Machon, 2012), Ric121: , (Richardson & Ryde, 2012, p. 9), Ric121: , (Richardson & Ryde, 2012), Smi13: , (Smith & Greenfields, 2013), Hil11: , (Hill, 2011), Lop121: , (Lopez, 2012), BBC13: , (BBC News, 2013), Men13: , (Mendick & Duffin, 2013), Cor14: , (Corttrell, 2014), Bro04: , (Brooke, 2014), War12: , (Ward, 2012), Read More