Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Interaction, migration and change
208 Renata Weinerová There are cases when Roma families received social support payments both in the country of origin and in the destination country. From the point of view of the majority population, this approach sounds dearly immoral. However, in a number of cases this appeared to the Roma as the only possibility to improve their living conditions. 4 The increase in migration took place after the application of government decree No. 502/65 which put into the practice a policy of steady "diffusion" of Roma from places of large concentration. As a result of the plan to liquidate settlements and to diffuse Roma from places where they were concentrated in large numbers, there was a chain migration of Slovak Roma to the Czech lands whereby above all Czech cities absorbed a demographic increase in the Roma population from East Slovakia. (Romové v České Republice 1999: 175). 5 Romano nevo 111 (Roma New Paper) is an independent culturalsocial newspaper of Roma in Slovakia. Number 468 of the year 2001 was focused on the issues of the census of people, houses and flats in the Slovak Republic in the year 2001. This number consisted of articles aiming to remove the concerns of Roma about losing Slovak citizenship by declaring Roma nationality. The newspaper included a number of interviews with popular Roma personalities or Romologists who voluntarily and proudly declared their Roma nationality. For example the well-known Czech Romologist, Milena Hübschmannová in one of her articles argued why she had adopted the Roma nationality. 5 It was not a real "middle" class. From the point of view of the overall differentiation of the society, Roma and non-Roma, this was still part of the lower class of the society. From this point of view, a part of the real middle class under socialism was only represented by a small group of Roma intelligentsia. The lowest Roma class, the inhabitants of Roma settlements, moved and still move on the very social seabed, sometimes even lower than that. 7 Settlements vary significantly based upon geographic location and the level of ethnic segregation. Some settlements have their roots in policies adopted during the Second World War and early socialist period, which required Roma to move outside of towns. The population of Roma in settlements has been growing in the past decade, as many Roma have returned to settlements because of the availability of cheaper housing. The level of poverty in a Roma settlement seems to be closely connected to the level of ethnic integration and segregation.
