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Living on the Margin : An Archaeology of a Swedish Roma Camp

Monié Nordin, Jonas LU orcid ; Fernstål, Lotta and Hyltén-Cavallius, Charlotte (2022) In World Archaeology 53(3). p.517-530
Abstract
In 1959, the politics of assimilation led to the creation of a set of municipally organised camps for Roma people in the Stockholm area. The camps were to function as controlled settlements of transition for Roma families awaiting proper homes. This paper focuses on one such camp – the Skarpnäck Camp – which existed longer than anticipated, to the point that its continued operation was criticised as being inconsistent with the government’s assimilation policy. This paper represents an analysis of historical archaeological fieldwork at the former Skarpnäck Camp in southern Stockholm and is based upon interviews conducted with former inhabitants of and visitors to the camp. It uncovers aspects of Roma history on the margins of Swedish... (More)
In 1959, the politics of assimilation led to the creation of a set of municipally organised camps for Roma people in the Stockholm area. The camps were to function as controlled settlements of transition for Roma families awaiting proper homes. This paper focuses on one such camp – the Skarpnäck Camp – which existed longer than anticipated, to the point that its continued operation was criticised as being inconsistent with the government’s assimilation policy. This paper represents an analysis of historical archaeological fieldwork at the former Skarpnäck Camp in southern Stockholm and is based upon interviews conducted with former inhabitants of and visitors to the camp. It uncovers aspects of Roma history on the margins of Swedish society and how marginalisation of the Roma group was given physical form in the creation of sanctioned camps. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Roma people, camps, assimilation, Sweden, modernity
in
World Archaeology
volume
53
issue
3
pages
14 pages
publisher
Routledge
ISSN
0043-8243
DOI
10.1080/00438243.2021.1999852
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
c78a1f52-5a84-4861-864c-d305bf2b2b04
date added to LUP
2026-01-06 13:51:42
date last changed
2026-01-08 16:16:20
@article{c78a1f52-5a84-4861-864c-d305bf2b2b04,
  abstract     = {{In 1959, the politics of assimilation led to the creation of a set of municipally organised camps for Roma people in the Stockholm area. The camps were to function as controlled settlements of transition for Roma families awaiting proper homes. This paper focuses on one such camp – the Skarpnäck Camp – which existed longer than anticipated, to the point that its continued operation was criticised as being inconsistent with the government’s assimilation policy. This paper represents an analysis of historical archaeological fieldwork at the former Skarpnäck Camp in southern Stockholm and is based upon interviews conducted with former inhabitants of and visitors to the camp. It uncovers aspects of Roma history on the margins of Swedish society and how marginalisation of the Roma group was given physical form in the creation of sanctioned camps.}},
  author       = {{Monié Nordin, Jonas and Fernstål, Lotta and Hyltén-Cavallius, Charlotte}},
  issn         = {{0043-8243}},
  keywords     = {{Roma people; camps; assimilation; Sweden; modernity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{517--530}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{World Archaeology}},
  title        = {{Living on the Margin : An Archaeology of a Swedish Roma Camp}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2021.1999852}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/00438243.2021.1999852}},
  volume       = {{53}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}