Vol 2, No 9 2002 pp. 667-681
UDC 323.15(=914.99)(497.1)
SOCIAL AND ETHNIC DISTANCE TOWARDS
ROMANIES IN SERBIA
Bogdan Djurović
Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Department of Social Sciences, Niš, Yugoslavia
Abstract. The research results have almost entirely confirmed the proposed hypotheses, that is, the general hypothesis that the Romanies in the transition processes of Serbian society are still discriminated so that their social exclusion, segregation and (to a small degree) assimilation are evident. The obtained data unambiguously lead to the conclusion that the social, ethnic and racial distance towards the Romanies in Serbia is very large so that energetic measures have to be undertaken through educational, socioeconomic and political programs. The sample has comprised 13 nations, though only five of them have been statistically significant, namely, Serbs, Romanies, Muslims, Hungarians and Yugoslavs. Measured by the classical Bogardus's scale the results have, depending on the assumed social relation, showed an outstanding regularity, namely, those unwilling to get married to a Romany (depending on a given nation) amount to between 55% and 79,5%. Those who would not have a Romany as a friend amount to between 13% and 24%; Romanies would not be accepted as neighbors by between 16% and 59% of the examined. Finally, those who would not like to live with them in the same state amount to between 6% and 16%. The data from Bogardus's scale combined with the other sets of questions show an evident racial discrimination against the Romanies. The sexual intercourse would be rejected by about 50% of the examined; the direct blood transfusion would not be accepted by between 30% and 40% of the examined. It should also be mentioned that, in some cases, the Serbs express a greater distance towards Albanians and Muslims but this is far from being comforting since the other national minorities exhibit a high degree of distance towards the Romanies.
Key words:  Romanies, segregation, assimilation, discrimination, social exclusion, social distance, ethnic distance, racial distance, adaptation, integration, identity.
SOCIJALNA I ETNIČKA DISTANCA PREMA ROMIMA U SRBIJI
Rezultati istraživanja su skoro u potpunosti potvrdili postavljene hipoteze, kao i generalnu hipotezu da su Romi u procesima tranzicije srpskog društva i dalje diskriminisani i da su njihova socijalna isključenost, segregacija i (u manjoj meri) asimilacija evidentni. Dobijeni podaci nedvosmisleno vode zaključku da je socijalna, etnička i rasna distanca prema Romima evidentna i da je, u vezi s tim, neophodno preduzeti energične mere kroz obrazovne, socijalne i političke programe. Uzorkom je obuhvaćeno 12 nacija, ali se samo pet pokazalo statistički značajnim: Srbi, Romi, Muslimani, Mađari i Jugosloveni. Mereno klasičnom Bogardusovom skalom, rezultati su, u zavisnosti od pretpostavljenih socijalnih odnosa, ukazali na izrazitu pravilnost. Onih koji ne bi stupili u brak sa Romima je (u zavisnosti od nacije) između 55% i 79,5%, a onih koji Rome ne bi želeli za prijatelje između 13% i 24%. Rome kao susede ne bi rado prihvatilo između 16% i 59% ispitanika i, konačno, u istoj drzavi sa njima ne bi zivelo između 6% i 16%. Podaci iz Bogardusove skale, kombinovani sa drugim baterijama pitanja, ukazuju i na evidentnu rasnu distancu prema Romima. Seksualne odnose sa Romima ne bi prihvatilo oko 50% ispitanika, a direktnu transfuziju krvi bi odbilo (osim u neposrednoj životnoj opasnosti) između 30 i 40% njih. Potrebno je napomenuti da, u određenim slučajevima, Srbi ispoljavaju veći stepen distance prema Albancima i Muslimanima, ali to bitno ne menja negativan odnos prema Romima, jer i ostale nacionalne manjine ispoljavaju relativno visok stepen distance prema njima.
Ključne reči:  Romi, segregacija, asimilacija, diskriminacija, socijalna isključenost,
socijalna distanca, etnička distanca, rasna distanca, adaptacija, integracija, identitet.