Ambivalent belonging in a hierarchy of others : positioning and identity-making in Bucharest

Abstract

In this thesis I explore aspects of identity-making processes among city dwellers in Bucharest, Romania. The unbounded and fragmented cityscape appeared as ambiguous as the social context, where a lack of positively loaded sense of belonging prevailed. Within this ambiguous framework, categories of Others proved to be vital for social orientation. On the basis of five and a half months fieldwork in Bucharest, I suggest that positioning in relations to Others are significant aspects of identity-making processes among Bucharest dwellers, and in particular, the young middle class. Others were represented in the social construct of gypsies and categories of ill-mannered Romanians. These internal hierarchical orders also reflect a wider context, wherein Romanians subordinate themselves in relation to an idealized image of the West. Subjects and objects for disdain were saturated by notions of the uncivilized contrasted, and compared to an idealized image of the civilized West. The common denominator that cut across various definitions of Others both inferior ones in terms of gypsies but also the superior one represented by the West, was this frequent reference to ideas of civilized and uncivilized This dichotomy, served as a navigator in identity-making processes, and was implemented by similarly positioned people to create a space where, positively loaded belonging emerged, while negative portrayals of Others functioned to strengthen this sense of belonging.