Antigypsyism, legal culture and sentencing in Italy: A dialogue between sociology of law and critical Romani studies

This article analyzes the relationship between Roma people and the law by combining two different theoretical approaches, one focusing on legal culture, the other drawing on critical Romani studies. The resulting analytical model supports: 1) the adoption of a multi-level and interpretative approach to examining legal culture, and 2) the focus on the processes of racialization and discrimination implemented by the dominant society, especially within the legal field. The analysis brings to light the mutually-influencing relations between dominant stereotypes about Roma and Sinti people on the one hand, and Italy’s legal culture and sentencing on the other. This topic is examined in relation to the Italian and the wider European historical, political and cultural context, since the way in which legal actors see Roma and Sinti people is strongly influenced by their social and political milieu, and by historically-originated dominant cultural repertoires.