Minoritetspolitik för vem?

Different reports imply that the Roma are an excluded group in numerous areas of both Sweden and Europe. Efforts have been done through the centuries without given intentional results. The past 12 years as a Swedish national minority have not diminished the gap between the Roma and the majority society. How does Sweden create and operate its minority policy especially towards the Roma? We have studied international and national minority policy to see how it is described and implemented in the municipality work. Malmö is the base of our study because of its high population of the Roma from various groups. Malmö is also one of the pilot municipalities in the governmental venture for including the Roma into the society. To obtain information we have analyzed governmental documents and minority rights and complemented those with interviews with politicians, community workers in the minority field. A lot of effort and work are being done in Malmö to change the situation of the Roma. Our informants gave an impression of feeling confident and hopeful towards the future. At the same time we feel a lack of discussion about the essence of minority policy and the possible negativity in “helping” the Roma as a minority group. We also think it’s important to question the meaning of recognition to motivate what efforts should be done in the minority field. By this study we hope to demonstrate the complexity that lies within the field of minority policy in general and regarding the Roma in particular