European Minorities: Interactions, Community Building and Sense of Belonging 2024/25 SS

Overlapping Stereotypes: Jews, Muslims, Roma in Czechia: Ethnological Approach

Dr. Petr Janeček

Abstract

The paper presents an overview of the phenonemon of vernacular stereotypes about ethnic and religious minorities in Czechia (the Czech Republic) in broader historical and geographical perspective. The main point of the text is „overlapping of the stereotypes“, i. e., these fictional, most often negative characteristics are (and were) frequently attributed, according to the Zeitgeist and actual sociopolitical sitution, to several completely different minorities – the ones mentioned are Jews, Muslims and the Roma.

Firstly, the paper summarizes the concept of vernacular expressive culture with focus on verbal folklore genres such as rumours, contemporary legends and jokes. Then, it argues that these genres – often overlooked by the academia – very often serve as disseminating mechanism for negative and hateful stereotypes, manifesting in ethnic slurs, gossip, but also ethnic and religious violence, riots and pogroms, which is followed by several historical examples.

Secondly, some important traits of these narratives are presented, such as „projective inversion“, their main themes, their typology, and social functions and cultural meanings.

Lastly, historical overview of these phenomena in Czechia is presented, followed by a number of concrete examples both from oral tradition and electronic social media (i. e. anti-Roma Razorblades in Waterslide rumour 1970s-until now; anti-Roma racist jokes of the 1990s; anti-Muslim The Lost Wallet contemporary legend of 2016).