IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v12y2023i3p183-d1100285.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Falling off the Radar? Reaching Out to the Finnish Roma Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Marko Stenroos

    (Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, FI-00271 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Laura Musta

    (Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, FI-00271 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Natalia Skogberg

    (Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, FI-00271 Helsinki, Finland)

Abstract

In this paper, we ask how the Finnish Roma community handled the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the information reached Roma communities. The previous studies indicate existing health inequalities between Finnish Roma and the general population. The point of departure for the article is crisis communication between Finnish Roma and national authorities. The themes of racialization, mistrust and Roma relying on peers as a source of information and support became apparent. From this setting, this article sheds light on the way of speaking, usage of language, (Finnish) as a social construction of ethnic identity and expression of (non)belonging. At the same time, the usage of languge and codeswitching reveals social stratifications among the Finnish Roma population. Findings indicate that subtle forms of exclusion of Roma prevail in Finland and are materialized as a “left alone mentality”. Consequently, Roma persons working as civil servants or NGO workers would potentially constitute a crucial link between health authorities and the Roma population. This link, however, should be constantly maintained. The study is a qualitative study and based on thematic interviews among Roma actors.

Suggested Citation

  • Marko Stenroos & Laura Musta & Natalia Skogberg, 2023. "Falling off the Radar? Reaching Out to the Finnish Roma Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:183-:d:1100285
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/3/183/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/3/183/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Velicu, Anca & Barbovschi, Monica & Rotaru, Ileana, 2022. "Socially isolated and digitally excluded. A qualitative exploratory study of the lives of Roma teenage mothers during the COVID-19 lockdown," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Remus Creţan & Petr Kupka & Ryan Powell & Václav Walach, 2022. "EVERYDAY ROMA STIGMATIZATION: Racialized Urban Encounters, Collective Histories and Fragmented Habitus," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 82-100, January.
    3. Andrej Belak & Zuzana Dankulincova Veselska & Andrea Madarasova Geckova & Jitse P. van Dijk & Sijmen A. Reijneveld, 2017. "How Well Do Health-Mediation Programs Address the Determinants of the Poor Health Status of Roma? A Longitudinal Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Olga Magano & Maria Manuela Mendes, 2021. "Structural Racism and Racialization of Roma/Ciganos in Portugal: The Case of Secondary School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-14, May.
    5. Riikka Lämsä & Anu E. Castaneda & Anneli Weiste & Marianne Laalo & Päivikki Koponen & Hannamaria Kuusio, 2020. "The Role of Perceived Unjust Treatment in Unmet Needs for Primary Care Among Finnish Roma Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-15, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Barbara Pavlikova & Lenka Freel & Jitse P. van Dijk, 2020. "To Comply or Not to Comply: Roma Approach to Health Laws," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-13, April.
    2. Susana Mourão & Sara Pinheiro & Maria Manuela Mendes & Pedro Caetano & Olga Magano, 2023. "How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic and Digital Divide Impact Ciganos/Roma School Pathways?," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Olga Magano & Tânia D’Oliveira, 2023. "Antigypsyism in Portugal: Expressions of Hate and Racism in Social Networks," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-13, September.
    4. Ipek Demirsu, 2023. "IDENTITARIAN MOVEMENTS IN THE TOURISTIC CITY: The Marketing of Hate in Verona," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(5), pages 725-744, September.
    5. Andrej Sluga & David Bogataj & Eneja Drobež, 2023. "Legal Framework for Social Infrastructure for Social Integration of the Roma and Their Preferences: Case of Slovenia," Laws, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-23, July.
    6. Bratiloveanu Alexandra & Ignat Nicoleta Daniela & Croitoru Ionuț Marius, 2023. "Investment Risk – Bibliometric Analysis at the Level of EU States," Valahian Journal of Economic Studies, Sciendo, vol. 14(2), pages 23-38, December.
    7. Shao, Qinglong & Kostka, Genia, 2023. "The COVID-19 pandemic and deepening digital inequalities in China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    8. Ionuţ-Marian Anghel & Filip Mihai Alexandrescu, 2023. "‘We lurk in the hidden places’: The (un)stable spatialisation of Roma poverty in Romania," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(10), pages 1875-1893, August.
    9. Jessica Naidu & Elizabeth Oddone Paolucci & Tanvir Chowdhury Turin, 2022. "Racism as a Social Determinant of Health for Newcomers towards Disrupting the Acculturation Process," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Efpraxia D. Zamani & Anastasia Rousaki, 2024. "Reconsidering government digital strategies within the context of digital inequalities: the case of the UK Digital Strategy," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    11. Almudena Macías León & Natalia Del Pino-Brunet, 2023. "The Vulnerability of European Roma to the Socioeconomic Crisis Triggered by the COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-12, May.
    12. Marina-Alexandra Rotaru & Remus Creţan & Ana-Neli Ianăş, 2023. "Ethnicities in Post-Communist Romania: Spatial Dynamics, Fractionalisation, and Polarisation at the NUTS-3 Level," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-29, May.
    13. Liliana Popescu & Claudia Daniela Albă & Mirela Mazilu & Cristina Șoșea, 2023. "‘Should I Go or Should I Stay?’ Why Do Romanians Choose the Bulgarian Seaside for Their Summer Holiday?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-18, July.
    14. Luis Eduardo López Flores & Manuel Toledano-Ayala & Juvenal Rodríguez-Reséndiz & Miguel Ángel Rubio Toledo, 2023. "Materiality of Precarious Housing and Its Relationship with Perception in Society: Case Study in Municipality of Pinal de Amoles," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-26, April.
    15. Michal Kozubik & Jitse P. van Dijk & Daniela Filakovska Bobakova, 2019. "Aspects of Illness and Death among Roma—Have They Changed after More than Two Hundred Years?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-11, November.
    16. Lenka Slepickova & Daniela Filakovska Bobakova, 2020. "Conceptualization of Roma in Policy Documents Related to Social Inclusion and Health in the Czech Republic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-18, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:183-:d:1100285. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.