Everyday antigypsyism and structural discrimination: how the normalisation of racism shapes social exclusion

Abstract

In this article, we focus on antigypsyism to inquire how structural racism operates and is reproduced through everyday interaction, being normalised both by Roma and non-Roma people. We link the notion of structural racism to another central concept in migration and diversity studies that is often treated separately, namely the contested idea of "integration." Social exclusion is, in our framework, largely understood as a consequence of structural racism. We apply this conceptual framework to analyse the deeply rooted, normalised racism and discrimination that Gitanos (Spanish Roma) continuously face in Spain, and that we have denominated "everyday antigypsyism." We use ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2017-2024, including 185 in-depth interviews, to explore how rejection and discrimination shape the exclusion of Gitanos from "mainstream society," impeding their "integration," and normalising the racialised inequalities between Roma and non-Roma Spanish citizens.