Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ROMAPHOBIA (Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: A Study of UK and Swedish Media and Political Discourse)
Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2023-05-31
This research project aims to investigate current expressions of racism and xenophobia, specifically towards the Roma community in Europe, with a focus on the UK and Sweden. It seeks to understand why anti-Roma sentiment, or Romaphobia, spreads particularly during periods of socio-political crisis, and how it is communicated across different media platforms. The project is crucial in the field of racism and media studies, as it comes at a time when populist politics are prominent in Europe, which has implications for the treatment of Roma. Despite attempts by the European Commission and human rights organizations to combat racial discrimination, racism, especially towards Roma, persists. This prejudice has led to extreme discrimination, socio-economic inequalities, and general indignity for the Roma in the EU. The project seeks to raise awareness about these issues and to aid in the development of more effective policies to alleviate the discrimination and inequality experienced by the Roma in Europe.
This project has three main goals.
The first goal (RO1) is to understand how discrimination against the Roma community is communicated in different political settings.
The second goal (RO2) is to see how racism is communicated differently across different media platforms (leading UK and Swedish newspapers, YouTube and Twitter).
The third goal (RO3) is to challenge common beliefs found in the media and political debates in the UK and Sweden.
This project has three main goals.
The first goal (RO1) is to understand how discrimination against the Roma community is communicated in different political settings.
The second goal (RO2) is to see how racism is communicated differently across different media platforms (leading UK and Swedish newspapers, YouTube and Twitter).
The third goal (RO3) is to challenge common beliefs found in the media and political debates in the UK and Sweden.
Spanning over a period of 24 months, the project underwent various stages including data collection, meticulous analysis, and effective communication and dissemination of findings.
After addressing the specific ethics issues required by the European Commission and Ethics Committee at Loughborough University, the project started with the data collection phase (WP1), where data pertinent to two distinct studies was gathered. The project successfully achieved key milestones in this phase, with comprehensive data being collected from UK newspapers (The Daily Mail, The Sun and The Guardian) and YouTube for Study 1, and Swedish newspapers (Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Expressen and Svenska Dagbladet) and Twitter for Study 2.
Following data collection, the project embarked on the data analysis phase (WP2). A thematic analysis was conducted to map out the textual and visual content, which was followed by the application of multimodal critical discourse analysis to the most salient themes. The milestones in this phase included the successful processing and analysis of data from various sources for both studies. The completion of this phase was marked by the delivery of two reports highlighting the findings on Romaphobia in UK and Swedish media and political discourse, which were the initial bases for presentations and workshops.
The third work package (WP3) was centred around communication, dissemination, and exploitation of the research findings. The project was able to reach out to the target audiences by participating in conferences, conducting workshops, and drafting academic articles and a book proposal.
BOOK PROPOSAL
Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: Media Discourse and Racism in UK and Sweden [ready for submission]
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Breazu, P., & McGarry, A. (2023) Romaphobia in the UK Right-Wing Press: Racist and Populist Discourse during Brexit Referendum. Social Semiotics, 1-22. Doi: 10.1080/10350330.2023.2165907.
Breazu, P. (in peer review). Entitlement Racism on YouTube: White Injury—the Licence to Humiliate Roma migrants in the UK. Discourse, Context & Media.
Breazu, P., & Machin D. (in peer review). Humanitarian discourse as racism disclaimer: The representation of the Roma migrants in Swedish press. Journal of Language and Politics.
Breazu, P. (in peer review). Decontextualizing the Ban on Begging: A Multimodal Critical Analysis of Media and Political Discourse in Sweden. Communication & Society.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Breazu, P. (in press). Do Roma Lives Matter? A Critical Inquiry into European Media Coverage of Violence against Roma. In Monish Bhatia, Scott Poynting and Waqas Tufail (eds). Media and Racial Violence, Palgrave Macmillan.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
‘Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis in Media and Communication Research and its Application for the Study of Anti-Roma Racism’, Shanghai International Studies University, 15 January 2023.
Fellowship Inaugural Lecture ‘Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: A comparative Study of UK and Swedish Media’ Loughborough University, 14 June 2022.
‘Romaphobia in the Age of Populism’ The Roma Peoples Project, Columbia University, New York, December 2021 (presented with Professor Aidan McGarry).
‘Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: A comparative Study of UK and Swedish Media’, Populism Research Group, Loughborough University, 3 November 2021 (presented with Professor Aidan McGarry).
CONFERENCE PRESENTIONS
European Sociological Association. ‘Culture(s) on the margins’, ‘Romaphobia in British Press’ University of Portsmouth, August- September 2022.
NIAS 2023: Narratives of (non) belonging on social media: The case of European Roma (postponed for October 2023). Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. Amsterdam.
ORGANIZATION OF WORKSHOPS
Romaphobia in European Media Workshop, 17 November 2022, Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University London (co-organiser with Professor Aidan McGarry).
Politics of Roma Inclusion/Exclusion Workshop, 25 November 2021, Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University London (co-organiser with Professor Aidan McGarry).
With an eye on skill development, work package four (WP4) was all about enhancing the professional and career development of the Fellow. It was dedicated to building the research potential and cultivating research networks, alongside fostering skill development. The Fellow, in collaboration with Professor Aidan McGarry, conducted an insightful 'Grant Writing Gym' at Loughborough London. The session aimed to equip colleagues with a holistic understanding of the research funding landscape within UK Higher Education. This initiative was also a great opportunity for the Fellow to learn the specific prerequisites and tips to successful grant applications.
The Fellow successfully engaged in teaching on the MA Dissertation Module and offered mentorship to IDIG PhD students. The Fellow organised value-add workshops on research methods, data visualisation and analysis and acted as a discussant on in-progress manuscripts.
The final work package (WP5) focused on the management of the project, including the transfer of knowledge. It encompassed the monitoring of the project budget, risks, and the preparation of financial and progress reports. The Fellow was involved in all management aspects of the fellowship.
After addressing the specific ethics issues required by the European Commission and Ethics Committee at Loughborough University, the project started with the data collection phase (WP1), where data pertinent to two distinct studies was gathered. The project successfully achieved key milestones in this phase, with comprehensive data being collected from UK newspapers (The Daily Mail, The Sun and The Guardian) and YouTube for Study 1, and Swedish newspapers (Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Expressen and Svenska Dagbladet) and Twitter for Study 2.
Following data collection, the project embarked on the data analysis phase (WP2). A thematic analysis was conducted to map out the textual and visual content, which was followed by the application of multimodal critical discourse analysis to the most salient themes. The milestones in this phase included the successful processing and analysis of data from various sources for both studies. The completion of this phase was marked by the delivery of two reports highlighting the findings on Romaphobia in UK and Swedish media and political discourse, which were the initial bases for presentations and workshops.
The third work package (WP3) was centred around communication, dissemination, and exploitation of the research findings. The project was able to reach out to the target audiences by participating in conferences, conducting workshops, and drafting academic articles and a book proposal.
BOOK PROPOSAL
Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: Media Discourse and Racism in UK and Sweden [ready for submission]
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Breazu, P., & McGarry, A. (2023) Romaphobia in the UK Right-Wing Press: Racist and Populist Discourse during Brexit Referendum. Social Semiotics, 1-22. Doi: 10.1080/10350330.2023.2165907.
Breazu, P. (in peer review). Entitlement Racism on YouTube: White Injury—the Licence to Humiliate Roma migrants in the UK. Discourse, Context & Media.
Breazu, P., & Machin D. (in peer review). Humanitarian discourse as racism disclaimer: The representation of the Roma migrants in Swedish press. Journal of Language and Politics.
Breazu, P. (in peer review). Decontextualizing the Ban on Begging: A Multimodal Critical Analysis of Media and Political Discourse in Sweden. Communication & Society.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Breazu, P. (in press). Do Roma Lives Matter? A Critical Inquiry into European Media Coverage of Violence against Roma. In Monish Bhatia, Scott Poynting and Waqas Tufail (eds). Media and Racial Violence, Palgrave Macmillan.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
‘Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis in Media and Communication Research and its Application for the Study of Anti-Roma Racism’, Shanghai International Studies University, 15 January 2023.
Fellowship Inaugural Lecture ‘Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: A comparative Study of UK and Swedish Media’ Loughborough University, 14 June 2022.
‘Romaphobia in the Age of Populism’ The Roma Peoples Project, Columbia University, New York, December 2021 (presented with Professor Aidan McGarry).
‘Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: A comparative Study of UK and Swedish Media’, Populism Research Group, Loughborough University, 3 November 2021 (presented with Professor Aidan McGarry).
CONFERENCE PRESENTIONS
European Sociological Association. ‘Culture(s) on the margins’, ‘Romaphobia in British Press’ University of Portsmouth, August- September 2022.
NIAS 2023: Narratives of (non) belonging on social media: The case of European Roma (postponed for October 2023). Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. Amsterdam.
ORGANIZATION OF WORKSHOPS
Romaphobia in European Media Workshop, 17 November 2022, Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University London (co-organiser with Professor Aidan McGarry).
Politics of Roma Inclusion/Exclusion Workshop, 25 November 2021, Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University London (co-organiser with Professor Aidan McGarry).
With an eye on skill development, work package four (WP4) was all about enhancing the professional and career development of the Fellow. It was dedicated to building the research potential and cultivating research networks, alongside fostering skill development. The Fellow, in collaboration with Professor Aidan McGarry, conducted an insightful 'Grant Writing Gym' at Loughborough London. The session aimed to equip colleagues with a holistic understanding of the research funding landscape within UK Higher Education. This initiative was also a great opportunity for the Fellow to learn the specific prerequisites and tips to successful grant applications.
The Fellow successfully engaged in teaching on the MA Dissertation Module and offered mentorship to IDIG PhD students. The Fellow organised value-add workshops on research methods, data visualisation and analysis and acted as a discussant on in-progress manuscripts.
The final work package (WP5) focused on the management of the project, including the transfer of knowledge. It encompassed the monitoring of the project budget, risks, and the preparation of financial and progress reports. The Fellow was involved in all management aspects of the fellowship.
The preliminary outcomes of the ROMAPHOBIA project served as a springboard for the conception of fresh research ideas. Intrigued by the potential of AI and machine learning as potential solutions to these issues, I pursued funding opportunities to deepen my understanding and research further. The endeavour was met with success as I secured a generous grant of £200,000 and will carry this research forward at the esteemed University of Cambridge. My hope is that this research will contribute to creating a safer, more respectful digital world for all.