The Romanization of poverty: Spatial stigmatization of Roma neighborhoods in Turkey

Abstract: This article aims to reveal the multidimensional aspects of social exclusion of Roma in Turkey, which manifests itself in the stigmatized space of Roma neighborhood. In our analysis, we do not depict ‘Roma’ distinctively as an ethnic category but as a ‘low status’ in the society that is embedded in the stigmatized places. We argue that those from a Roma neighborhood hold a common “stigmatized spatial identity”, regardless of their ethnicity, which determines the processes of poverty and social exclusion in different spheres of life. In order to unfold the process of social exclusion that we refer to as the “Romanization of poverty”, our study provides analysis under the analytical category of spatial stigmatization intertwined with insecure livelihood.