Roma in Northern England: Creating Interventions towards a Better Quality of Life

该奖学金将用于巩固我的博士研究，并传播这项研究的结果，以学者，政策制定者，从业人员与罗姆人和那些谁监督服务提供，与改善参与和创造更好的结果为Roma.This奖学金建立在捷克和斯洛伐克罗姆人谁来到利兹后，欧盟在2004年扩大以前的人种学研究。罗马人来到利兹是为了获得“更好的生活”，无论是在物质方面，还是在获得他人的尊重和认可方面。我的博士论文是迄今为止对英国罗姆移民的最深入的民族志研究，并为罗姆人在英国生活的策略提供了新颖的见解。它描述了罗姆人的日常生活，并追溯了他们与其他人的互动，特别是与国家和国家行为者的互动，他们在这些互动中代表了“英国”。我的研究重点是幸福，以及如何理解什么是好的，有一个好的生活，以及一个人实现它的能力，是通过政策，实践和话语之间的相互作用产生的。我的研究发现，尽管我的研究参与者在与他人的日常交往中感到罗姆人是“隐形的”，但在与公共服务和一些公共场所的交往中，他们仍然感到罗姆人是负面的刻板印象。此外，由于他们的工作条件往往不稳定，英语水平低，对英国福利制度不熟悉，他们经常发现很难获得福利和医疗服务。我的研究发现，在没有国家提供支持的情况下，许多罗姆人转向生命与光明教会，一个罗马五旬节教会。我的研究认为，皈依生命与光明教会有助于罗姆人以积极的方式展示自己的身份，他们创造了一种对道德罗姆人的归属感，并为皈依者提供了一个在困难时期可以利用的支持网络。罗姆人历来被过度研究，但尽管如此，整个欧洲罗姆人社区的生活质量几乎没有改善。此外，罗姆人的声音在很大程度上没有出现在关于罗姆人社区的学术研究中。我的研究有可能增加对罗姆人的经验和感知他们在社会中的地位以及罗姆人社区的多样性的理解。在奖学金期间，我将根据我的论文撰写一本专著，我将向国际同行评审提交两篇文章，在我的领域有影响力的期刊上。文章将认为，这些罗姆人，whosefirst language是罗姆语，而不是捷克语或斯洛伐克语，经验的语言边缘化的形式在与公共部门服务的互动，因为他们必须依靠捷克语或斯洛伐克语口译，由于缺乏罗姆语口译。第二篇文章将与RoxanaBarbulescu博士共同撰写，并将考虑在英国脱欧后获得罗姆人定居地位的影响。该奖学金将重点关注与非学术利益相关者密切合作，我在博士学位之前和期间与他们建立了联系。为了提高参与度和影响力，我将组织一个利益相关者研讨会，并与主要利益相关者合作，共同制作一份简短的政策简报（4页），总结我的博士研究结果，并为政策制定者和监督服务提供的人提供建议。我将利用奖学金开发一个新的研究项目，重点关注罗姆人社区在危机时期的脆弱性和恢复力，就像目前的新冠肺炎疫情，在此期间，罗姆人由于住房过度拥挤、几代人经常住在一起、贫困和长期医疗状况的高患病率而特别脆弱。

The fellowship will be used to consolidate my PhD research and to disseminate the findings of this researchto academics, policy-makers, practitioners working with Roma and those who oversee service provision,with the intention of improving engagement and create better outcomes for Roma.This fellowship builds on previous ethnographic research among Czech and Slovak Roma who came toLeeds after the expansion of the European Union in 2004. Roma came to Leeds to try to attain 'a betterlife', both in material terms and in the sense of having respect and recognition from others. My doctoralthesis is the most in-depth ethnographic study of Roma migrants in the UK to date and provides novelinsights into the strategies Roma use to navigate their lives in the UK. It describes the everyday lives ofRoma and traces their interactions with others, particularly with state and state-like actors, who came torepresent 'the UK' in these interactions. My research focuses on well-being and how understandings ofwhat it means to be well and to have a good life, and a person's ability to achieve it, are produced throughinteractions between policy, practice and discourse. My research found that even though my researchparticipants felt 'invisible' as Roma in many of their mundane daily interactions with others, they still feltnegatively stereotyped as Roma in their interactions with public services and in some public spaces.Additionally, due to they often precarious work conditions, low levels of English, and unfamiliarity of theBritish welfare system, they often found accessing welfare and healthcare services difficult. My researchfound that in the absence of state provided support, many Roma turned to the Life and Light Church, aRoma Pentecostal church. My research argues that conversions to the Life and Light Church addressenable Roma to present their identity in a positive way, they create a sense of belonging to a moral Romacommunity, and they provide converts with a support network which they can draw on in times of hardship.Roma have historically been over-researched but despite this, there has been little improvement in thequality of life of Roma communities across Europe. Moreover, Roma voices have largely been absent fromscholarship on Roma communities. My research has the potential to increase understanding of the wayRoma experience and perceive their position in society and of the diversity within Roma communities.During the Fellowship I will work on a monograph based on my thesis and I will submit two articles tointernational peer reviews high-impact journals in my field. The article will argue that those Roma, whosefirst language is Romani and not Czech or Slovak, experience a form of linguistic marginalisation ininteractions with public sector services because they have to rely on Czech or Slovak speaking interpreters,due to a lack of Romani speaking interpreters. The second article will be written jointly with Dr RoxanaBarbulescu and will consider the impacts of gaining a settled status for Roma in post-Brexit UK.The fellowship will strongly focus on working closely with non-academic stakeholders, with whom Iestablished links before and during my PhD. To increase engagement and impact, I will organise astakeholder workshop and work with key stakeholders to co-produce a short policy briefing (4 pages) whichwill summarise my PhD findings and provide recommendations for policy makers and those who overseeservice provision.I will use the Fellowship to develop a new research project which will focus on the vulnerability andresilience among Roma communities in times of crises, like the current Covid-19 pandemic, during whichRoma are particularly vulnerable due to overcrowded housing, with a number of generation often livingtogether, poverty, and high prevalence of long-term medical conditions.