Researching the health and social inequalities experienced by European Roma populations: Complicity, oppression and resistance

Abstract

This paper draws on the experience of two Romani and three non‐Romani scholars in knowledge production on the health and social inequalities experienced by European Roma populations. Together, we explore how we might better account for, and work against, the complex web of dynamic oppressions embedded within processes of academic knowledge production. Our aim is to encourage careful scrutiny through which sociologists of health and illness might better recognise our own complicity with oppression and identify concrete actions towards transforming our research practices. Drawing on a well‐known domains of racism typology (Annual Review of Public Health, 40, 2019, 105), we use examples from our own work to illustrate three interconnected domains of oppression in which we have found ourselves entangled (structural, cultural and interpersonal). A new conceptual framework is proposed as an aid to understanding the spectrum of different “types” of complicity (voluntary–involuntary, conscious–unconscious) that one might reproduce across all three domains. We conclude by exploring how sociologists of health and illness might promote a more actively anti‐racist research agenda, identifying and challenging subtle, hidden and embedded negative ideologies and practices as well as more obviously oppressive ones. We hope these reflections will help revitalise important conversations.

Attendance of health screening among Roma and non-Roma women in three Central and Eastern European Countries

“…We also detected problems which several studies highlighted such as poverty, lower education, lower health literacy, the di culty of communication. These all make access to healthcare more di cult [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…The lower level of education of Roma is one of the most important factors contributing to both poor health and limited knowledge of preventive measures. As a result, they are unable to appreciate the importance and bene ts of primary prevention [10][11][12][13][14][15]. The solution is multifaceted.…”

Complicity: Methodologies of power, politics and the ethics of knowledge production

“…Like Rai et al., Orton et al (2021) contribution provides an inventively reflective account of collaboration, in this case between authors at different career stages and of Roma and non‐Roma descent. The intervention is framed around vignettes that orient towards a diverse range of projects and experiences—all of which are somehow related to research of, or with, Roma communities and the concept of ‘Roma health’.…”

Screening attendance disparities among Hungarian-speaking Roma and non-Roma women in central and eastern European countries

“…Additionally, the Roma population's lack of trust in the healthcare system poses significant challenges. The lower educational attainment among Roma individuals is a crucial factor contributing to their poorer health outcomes and limited knowledge of preventive measures (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). Addressing these issues requires a multifaceted approach.…”