Publication details
Beyond Deficits : Focusing on Roma Dreams, Hopes, and Aspirations as a Challenge for Social Work
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| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Research shows that many members of Roma communities in the Czech Republic face persistent social exclusion and discrimination (FRA, 2022). They often live in insecure housing conditions, paying excessive rents for substandard flats, while lacking access to stable and affordable accommodation. Roma children and youngsters are disproportionately channelled into underperforming or special schools, reinforcing educational disadvantage. Adults frequently encounter discrimination and marginalisation on the labour market. These structural barriers are further compounded by mistrust between Roma and professionals, which obstruct access to services and hinder meaningful participation in their provision. These conditions of life are further individualised, as structural disadvantages are reframed as personal failings of Roma themselves (Powell, 2011), obscuring systemic barriers and reinforcing stereotypes about helpless excluded individuals and whole families who have no dreams, hopes, and aspirations. Against this backdrop, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of their visions of a dignified and secure life (Suckert, 2022). Without such knowledge, social work interventions risk reproducing stereotypes or addressing only surface-level needs; with it, however, social workers can intervene in ways that respect agency, build trust, and respond to the dreams, hopes, and aspirations of Roma individuals and families. In this context, we ask, “What are the life aspirations and future orientations of socially excluded Roma individuals and families?” The study employed a qualitative research strategy rooted in cultural sociology (Jaworsky et al, 2023), which understands aspirations not simply as individual preferences but as socially embedded projects shaped by shared meanings and symbolic boundaries. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews (n= 18) that combined narrative techniques with in-depth questioning: while narratives enabled participants to situate their dreams, hopes, and aspirations within personal and family trajectories, in-depth questioning revealed how broader cultural scripts and structural constraints informed their accounts. During thematic analysis of data (Castleberry & Nolen, 2018), a cultural-sociological sensitivity to meaning-making was deployed, attending to recurring patterns, metaphors, silences, and contradictions in order to capture not only what dreams, hopes, and aspirations were expressed but also how they were framed and communicated in the context of participants’ life. Preliminary findings indicate that Roma participants often described their life aspirations as secure housing and stable employment as foundations for a dignified life. Visions of the ideal future frequently centred on family stability and children’s education, reflecting firm intergenerational hopes. At the same time, these aspirations were tempered by structural barriers, such as discrimination and mistrust of institutions. Since the research is still early, these insights are tentative, and a deeper understanding will emerge as the analysis progresses. The findings suggest that Roma life aspirations and future orientations are persistently constrained by discrimination and mistrust of institutions. For social work, this highlights the need to recognise dreams, hopes, and aspirations as legitimate starting points for intervention rather than focusing on deficits. Building trust and supporting intergenerational Roma projects are crucial for transforming fragile hopes into achievable opportunities. Aligning practice with Roma families’ visions of dignity can foster more sustainable inclusion. |
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