From Exclusion to Downward Social Mobility: Romanian Roma Migrants in France between Public Policies and Civil Society Organisations

The Roma people are the most discriminated ethnic minority in Europe, facing difficult access to housing, work, education, and healthcare. After Romania joined the European Union in 2007, many Roma have migrated to Western European countries to improve their socio-economic conditions. However, they often experience downward social mobility in the country of destination. This paper explores the migration trajectories of six Romanian Roma migrants in contemporary France through life story interviews, with the aim to gain an in-depth understanding of the effects of public policies on their segregation and social exclusion. In the initial phase of migration, the Roma rely on their social networks in ethnic enclaves, where the newly arrived can find help for securing jobs and housing. However, this form of voluntary segregation is exacerbated by state-enforced ghettoisation, whereby the Roma are systematically cut out from formal housing. State and urban policies play a crucial role in this racial discrimination process: repressive policies (e.g. forced evictions) perpetuate Roma homelessness; emergency services (e.g. short-term shelters) do not enable processes of housing inclusion; poverty alleviation and slum-removal projects (e.g. the integration villages) worsen the marginalisation of the most dispossessed Roma. The paper concludes by considering the opportunities for housing and work integration through the mediating role of civil society associations offering employment and support with bureaucratic procedures. While these organisations allow the Roma to access their rights as European citizens, their activities also pose some questions: the risk of bolstering a neoliberal discourse where access to rights comes through Roma activation in the labour market, and the tailoring of individualised solutions that does not challenge the very public policies underpinning Roma segregation.