Olfactory stereotyping and anti-Roma racism : the cultural significance of ‘Roma smell’ in Slovene anthropology, history, literature, and criminology

Ramšak, Mojca (author)

The article draws on various sources about Roma in Slovenia to show the role of body odour and illustrate the role of perceived odour in racial discri- mination and in maintaining distinctions between the majority population and the Roma. The cultural significance of Roma body odour is a complex and multi-layered topic, traceable in several sources dating back to the 19$^{th}$ century. The odour associated with the Roma has been described from various perspectives. In anthropology, the study of Roma odour provides valuable insights into cultural perceptions and stereotypes about the Roma community. Throughout history, the depiction of Roma odour in literature has often reflected societal prejudices, perpetuating negative stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes towards this marginalised group. Literary works frequently emphasise the bad odour of this ethnic group, while paradoxically ascribing to the Roma an excellent sense of smell, often used metaphorically to represent subtle intuition. In criminology discourse, the association of Roma odour with criminality highlights the interconnectedness of ethnicity and the criminal justice system

• Language: English
• Keywords: Roma, odour, smell, olfactory stereotype, prejudice, anthropology of smell, Slovenia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 5-28
• Numbering: No. 93
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-166773
• UDC: 159.933
• ISSN on article: 0354-0286
• DOI: 10.2478/tdjes-2024-0015
• COBISS.SI-ID: 221577219
• Publication date in RUL: 24.01.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Razprave in gradivo : revija za narodnostna vprašanja
• Shortened title: Razpr. gradivo - Inšt. nar. vpraš.
• Publisher: Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja, = Institute for Ethnic Studies
• ISSN: 0354-0286
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23045378

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
• Description: You are free to reproduce and redistribute the material in any medium or format. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vonjalno stereotipiziranje in protiromski rasizem
• Keywords: Romi, vonj, vonjalni stereotip, predsodek, antropologija vonja, Slovenija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J7-50233
• Name: Vonj in nesnovna kulturna dediščina