First Generation Romani Youth in Italy: Fulfilling and Escaping from Family Responsibility

• In Event: 461 - Regular Session. Ethnography/Ethnographic Studies 2

Abstract

This essay is describes current condition of Roma (Gypsy) first generation teenagers growing up in Italy. Drawing from an ethnographic project involving participant observation and in-depth interviews, this paper interrogates the many ways in which pressures from the family and Italian society impact the lives of young Roma women especially.
While the youth have to take on family responsibilities early, this essay argues against a reading of their limited agency, offering an analysis of the complex ways in which Roma youth make choices and actively strategizes about their future, finding ways to escape yet comply with heavy family pressures.

Author

• Laura Fantone, University of California-Berkeley