Bare på besøk? Rom (sigøynere) i det norske fellesskapet

This Master’s thesis aims to explore the interaction between Roma and non-Roma in Norway as well as between different groups of Roma, in order to investigate if and to what extent Roma voices are heard in Norwegian society today, and whether those interactions might provide new insights about Norwegian majority culture. There are two main groups or categories of Roma («Gypsies») living in Norway today: Norwegian Roma, resident in the country since the mid-1800s and officially recognized as a national minority, and Roma from Romania who have been coming to Norway as economic migrants since the early 2000s. These two groups are the focus of this thesis. A third group, known as the Romani or Tater people, have been in Norway since the 1500s and are recognized as a national minority distinct from the Roma. They, too, enter into this thesis, but mostly in a historical and comparative context. The thesis is based on fieldwork conducted from January to June 2015, mainly in Norway’s capital city, Oslo. Based on the gathered data, I argue that stereotypization and objectification of Roma is widespread and deep-rooted among Norwegians, and that Roma in Norway are not only a muted group in Edwin Ardener’s sense, but are in fact excluded from the Norwegian imagined community and national narrative. Drawing upon the works of Marianne Gullestad, I propose that this has to do with the Nordic cultural ideal of harmony and equality in society being expressed through sameness, an ideal to which the Roma do not conform