Does religious change lead to social inclusion of Roma? Cover Image

Vedie náboženská zmena k sociálnej inklúzii Rómov?
Does religious change lead to social inclusion of Roma?

Author(s): Tatiana Zachar Podolinská, Tomáš Hrustič
Subject(s): Anthropology
Published by: Ústav etnológie a sociálnej antropológie Slovenskej akadémie vied
Keywords: religious change; social change; social inclusion / exclusion; Roma;

Summary/Abstract: In 2010 the Institute of Ethnology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences achieved the research project to measure the influence of religious missions toward the social inclusion of Roma in Slovakia – the SIRONA Project (Social Inclusion of the Roma by the Religious Pathway). In the beginning we think about methodological approaches of studying subjective perceptions of social change. Later we try to identify the mechanisms influencing the effectivness / the ineffectivness of social change, among others mostly the importance of pastoral discourse and its potential to be pro-exclusive, or pro-inclusive. At the same time we tried to explain this phenomenon from the perspective of social theories of social capital, social networks and social bonds. We come up with the conclusion that religious change has very strong potential to bring about social change which apparently can lead also to social inclusion.

  • Issue Year: 59/2011
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 413 - 431
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: Slovak