Romaphobia: The Last Acceptable Form of Racism

Demonised by the media and persecuted for hundreds of years, Roma communities are among the most persecuted groups in Europe. Romaphobia explores this complicated history and reveals that little has been done to identify—and thus attack—the root causes of discrimination against the Roma. Aiden McGarry identifies the origins of this discrimination in the early history of the European nation state, and he argues that the Roma, unfairly characterized as landless nomads, have been excluded from national communities because they don’t conform to the idea of “belonging” to a particular territory. By understanding Romaphobia as a prejudice rooted in European notions of territoriality, McGarry contends, we are better equipped to find a way towards the inclusion of Roma in society, an understanding that has ramifications beyond the Roma and can provide vital insights for similarly marginalized communities across the world.