The entertaining enemy: ‘Gypsy’ in popular culture in an age of securitization

Annabel Tremlett

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77035-2

The entertaining enemy: ‘Gypsy’ in popular culture in an age of securitization

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract

This chapter explores the relationship between popular culture and discourses of securitization by examining the trend of ‘the Gypsy’ in reality television. Notions such as ‘suspect communities’ (Bigo 2002), people as ‘existential threats’, and the need for ‘exceptional measures’ (Balzacq 2011) are all concepts used in securitisation studies and are also circulated in popular television shows that include Roma minorities. The conflation of ‘security threat’ with ‘entertaining Gypsy’ characters in such shows highlights the particular mode of securitization used in current popular culture outputs. This chapter shows how the logic of security can be used to ‘sell’ popular representations of Roma, revealing the system of beliefs about ‘the Gypsy’ as an entertaining enemy that are perpetuated by this political economy at a time of securitization.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Securitization of the Roma in Europe
Editors	Huub van Baar, Ana Ivasiuc, Regina Kreide
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
Chapter	5
Edition	1
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3319770352
ISBN (Print)	978-3319770345
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77035-2
Publication status	Published - 28 May 2018

Publication series

Name	Human Rights Intervention
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan

Keywords

reality television
popular culture
celebrity
Gypsy
Roma
representations
cultural studies
Othering
essentialism
entertainment
securitization
class
gender

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-319-77035-2

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319770345

Transnational Civil Society
Crack, A. (PI), Kaiser, W. (CoI), Siklodi, N. (CoI), Stoddard, E. (CoI), Dennis, J. (CoI), Sampaio-Dias, S. (CoI), Heard-Laureote, K. (CoI), Field, M. (CoI), Leucht, B. (CoI) & Tremlett, A. (CoI)
1/08/16 → 31/07/19
Project: Research
CRaB: Citizenship, 'Race' and Belonging
Moody, J. (PI), Cockel, I. (CoI), Dennis, J. (CoI), Garner, B. (CoI), Burkett, J. (CoI), Leddy-Owen, C. (CoI), Jabbar, N. (CoI), Jonsson, T. (CoI), Momesso, L. (CoI), Rutazibwa, O. (CoI), Salvi, F. (CoI), Sampaio-Dias, S. (CoI), Scherer, L. (CoI), Siklodi, N. (CoI), Tremlett, A. (CoI), Robazza, G. (CoI), Martin, D. (CoI) & Ahluwalia, P. (CoI)
1/09/15 → 31/12/21
Project: Research

Roma popular culture in an age of securitization: a move from ‘other’ to ‘enemy’
Tremlett, A. (Speaker)
3 Jun 2016
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk

Cite this

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title = "The entertaining enemy: {\textquoteleft}Gypsy{\textquoteright} in popular culture in an age of securitization",

abstract = "This chapter explores the relationship between popular culture and discourses of securitization by examining the trend of {\textquoteleft}the Gypsy{\textquoteright} in reality television. Notions such as {\textquoteleft}suspect communities{\textquoteright} (Bigo 2002), people as {\textquoteleft}existential threats{\textquoteright}, and the need for {\textquoteleft}exceptional measures{\textquoteright} (Balzacq 2011) are all concepts used in securitisation studies and are also circulated in popular television shows that include Roma minorities. The conflation of {\textquoteleft}security threat{\textquoteright} with {\textquoteleft}entertaining Gypsy{\textquoteright} characters in such shows highlights the particular mode of securitization used in current popular culture outputs. This chapter shows how the logic of security can be used to {\textquoteleft}sell{\textquoteright} popular representations of Roma, revealing the system of beliefs about {\textquoteleft}the Gypsy{\textquoteright} as an entertaining enemy that are perpetuated by this political economy at a time of securitization.",

keywords = "reality television, popular culture, celebrity, Gypsy, Roma, representations, cultural studies, Othering, essentialism, entertainment, securitization, class, gender",

author = "Annabel Tremlett",

year = "2018",

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doi = "10.1007/978-3-319-77035-2",

language = "English",

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AB - This chapter explores the relationship between popular culture and discourses of securitization by examining the trend of ‘the Gypsy’ in reality television. Notions such as ‘suspect communities’ (Bigo 2002), people as ‘existential threats’, and the need for ‘exceptional measures’ (Balzacq 2011) are all concepts used in securitisation studies and are also circulated in popular television shows that include Roma minorities. The conflation of ‘security threat’ with ‘entertaining Gypsy’ characters in such shows highlights the particular mode of securitization used in current popular culture outputs. This chapter shows how the logic of security can be used to ‘sell’ popular representations of Roma, revealing the system of beliefs about ‘the Gypsy’ as an entertaining enemy that are perpetuated by this political economy at a time of securitization.

KW - reality television

KW - popular culture

KW - celebrity

KW - Gypsy

KW - Roma

KW - representations

KW - cultural studies

KW - Othering

KW - essentialism

KW - entertainment

KW - securitization

KW - class

KW - gender

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BT - The Securitization of the Roma in Europe

A2 - van Baar, Huub

A2 - Ivasiuc, Ana

A2 - Kreide, Regina

PB - Palgrave Macmillan

ER -

The entertaining enemy: ‘Gypsy’ in popular culture in an age of securitization

Abstract

Publication series

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

Transnational Civil Society

CRaB: Citizenship, 'Race' and Belonging

Activities

Roma popular culture in an age of securitization: a move from ‘other’ to ‘enemy’

Cite this