Kontakt 2011, 13(4):419-424 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2011.046

Socially excluded locality as seen by its inhabitantsHealth and Social Sciences - Original article

Alena Kajanová^*, Dagmar Dvořáčková

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra sociální práce

The contribution, which is an outcome of socio-ethnographic research, is focused on problems of socially excluded municipal localities, which are inhabited by a prevalently strongly heterogeneous Romany population, in the Czech Republic. These localities are typically characterized by a low socio-economic status of their inhabitants, which is closely related to a symbolic exclusion and high concentration of social-pathological phenomena.
In the contribution presented here, the author particularly deals with a socially excluded (Romany) locality, housing estate Máj in České Budějovice, V. Volf street, which forms a specific part in the public area of a larger housing estate. The life of its inhabitants presents a confrontation with a different style of life of inhabitants in the surrounding area and vice versa. The basic target group included 15 randomly selected Romany residents of the housing estate Máj (based on self-identification) and the same number of residents randomly selected from members of the majority population. A supplementary group included 10 randomly selected Romany people and 10 members of the majority population living in České Budějovice beyond the locality concerned. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the respondents.
The results demonstrate differences in the way how the two resident populations perceive one another, similarly as in non-residents, in which the ethnicity was no more considered. Romany inhabitants as well as members of the majority population make distinct differences between "our" and "their" space. Both groups agree in opinions that the specific locality is just the V. Volf street, which is characteristic within the area of the housing estate Máj by the prevalence of Romany citizens. Of course Romany citizens do not consider it as socially excluded in the sense of the academic and medial discourse. Non-residents consider the whole housing estate Máj as problematic or socially excluded. They also consider the coexistence of Romany people and members of the majority in this housing estate as more problematic compared to its inhabitants.

Keywords: social exclusion; socially excluded locality; social space; ethnicity; Romany men, women

Received: March 16, 2011; Accepted: August 16, 2011; Published: December 16, 2011  Show citation