In Sweden there is still a lot of prejudice against Roma, but there is also a big difference depending on which groups we are talking about. There are Kalderash Roma, which largely came to Sweden during the late 19th/early 20th century from eastern Europe. They are fairly integrated and though the women wear skirts and headscarves, they basically follow contemporary fashion. They speak Romani. Then there are Kalé Roma, who arrived to Sweden from Finland, and who often don't speak Romani anymore, but Finnish, and who wear very distinct clothes, especially the women who wear huge black velvet skirts and very glittery blouses. In general Swedish prejudice against Roma as being criminals is directed largely towards Finnish Roma. In the last 10 years there has also been quite a lot of seasonal begging from Romanian Roma, which, in turn, dress differently. They make Swedes very uncomfortable, but I think that is mostly because people begging in the street is an unusual sight here.

And there is Swedish Travellers that largely came to Sweden in the 16-18th century. They are mostly integrated, and though they probably are at least partly Roma, they have a differnt language and customs. I never met anyone from the bigger cities who have prejudices against them, thougt there still are in more rural areas.


I’ve no idea if she’s translated, but Katarina Taikon was a Roma activist in Sweden who wrote a series of biographical children’s books about growing up in Sweden in the 30s and 40s. They’re very good. She wrote a biography directed towards adults too. It's fair to say that she and her sister Rosa was hugely the reason perjuides against Roma has dimiished as much as it has.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katarina_Taikon

I love the Historian so much, but I can understand why it it's for everyone. My husband found it dead boring...