Antigypsyism

Antigypsyism – hatred and prejudice aimed at the Roma people – had been deeply rooted in Europe for a long time. The Roma people have been harassed, discriminated against, and persecuted for hundreds of years. The old stereotypes claim they are asocial, workshy criminals, for example. Using derogatory terms and insults for the Roma people is all part of antigypsyism. At the same time, Roma communities in many places lived as an integral part of the populations of certain countries. 

Racial biology was established as a new science in the early 20th century. This led to the Roma people being classified as a separate and alien race. Racial biology claimed that criminality and asocial behavior were hereditary in Roma communities, which reinforced antigypsyism in Europe. Influenced by the notions of racial biology, Roma communities have also been subjected to forced internment and forced sterilisation. In Sweden, this particularly affected Travellers.

Racial biology

Racial biology developed in the 19th century and was recognized as a science. It is based on the theory that humans can be divided into races based on hereditary traits. Racial biology was a scientific attempt to confirm these theories characterized by stereotypes and racist beliefs and is not supported by modern science.  

The different races would be mapped by examining and recording people’s head measurements, skin colour, eye colour and hair colour. Besides physical characteristics, racial biologists also believed that internal traits and behaviours were inherited and reflected in people’s appearances.

In this way, a clear value distinction between different races emerged in racial biology. For instance, racial biologists claimed that some “races” were considered asocial and criminal, while others were regarded as exotic and less talented.

Racial biology and its theories led to political and eugenic measures, such as forced internment and sterilisation. Sweden established the State Institute of Racial Biology at Uppsala University in 1922.

Legislation, registration and sterilisation

In the early 20th century, several countries in Europe began to register Roma communities and pass laws preventing itinerant lifestyles. Germany banned camping, making fires in the forest, and letting horses out to graze. In Sweden, a new Aliens Act was introduced in 1914 which banned foreign Roma communities from entering the country. 

In Germany, a registry of Sinti and Roma people was established to map their identity. This register was later expanded and used by the Nazis during the genocide of the Sinti and Roma peoples during the Holocaust. The Swedish police and other state authorities also registered Roma communities and made inventories of the people within them. 

In Sweden, Roma communities were affected by the Sterilisation Act that was enacted in 1934. Under this Act, people could be sterilized for medical and social reasons. Many people were forced or otherwise pressured into this procedure. Roma Travellers were particularly hard hit by this legislation. 

Head photograph: Racial Intitute in Sweden, Uppsala. Photo: Uppsala University Library