Social Sciences

Social Exclusion and the Formation of a Shame-Laden Identity among the Roma of Ilam

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Mansour Mansouri moghadam

Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/qjss.2025.87221.2902
Abstract
This article investigates the social, cultural, and gendered mechanisms that reproduce exclusion and shame among the Roma residing in Ilam City. . Findings reveal that the Roma body functions as a “mobile marker” in urban spaces, rendering difference hyper-visible and activating exclusionary mechanisms. These markers persist within unequal structures—such as educational systems, healthcare services, and everyday interactions—producing experiences of non-acceptance in schools, humiliation in clinics, and discrimination in access to social resources. Social exclusion is reproduced not only at the macro level but also within micro-social relationships, where objects, utensils, and food carry connotations of “symbolic pollution,” silently reinforcing the boundary between “us” and “them.” In response to this multi-layered exclusion, a hidden, shame-laden identity emerges, driving many Roma to retreat, remain silent, and at times conceal their identity altogether. Ultimately, this article demonstrates that Roma identity is not stigmatized merely because of cultural difference but through unequal power relations that inscribe exclusion both symbolically and materially—transforming the Roma into a silenced, shameful subject who nevertheless strives to carve out pathways for survival and meaning within the margins.

Keywords

shameful identity
social exclusion
Roma
visibility
symbolic pollution
Subjects
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