Wastelands: Recycled Commodities and the Perpetual Displacement of Ashkali and Romani Scavengers

252 Pages·2020·1.96 MB·English

by  Eirik Saethre

Wastelands

Wastelands
recycled commodities and
the perpetual displacement of
ashkali and romani scavengers
Eirik Saethre
university of california press
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2020 by Eirik Saethre
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Saethre, Eirik, author.
Title: Wastelands : recycled commodities and the perpetual displacement
  of Ashkali and Romani Scavengers / Eirik Saethre.
Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2020] |
  Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2020017886 (print) | lccn 2020017887 (ebook) |
  isbn 9780520368491 (hardback) | isbn 9780520368514
(paperback) | isbn 9780520976139 (ebook)
Subjects: lcsh: Romanies—Serbia—History. | Refugees—Serbia—
  Belgrade. | Dumpster diving—Serbia—Belgrade.
Classification: lcc dx269 .s24 2020 (print) | lcc dx269 (ebook) |
  ddce 305.8914/9704971—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020017886
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020017887
Manufactured in the United States of America
29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: The Other World 1
1. The Sociality of Exception 35
2. Precarious Domesticity 63
3. Abject Economies 94
4. Constrained Aspirations 125
5. Relocations 158
Conclusion: Jebem Ti Život 188
Notes 201
Bibliography 223
Index 237

Acknowledgments
Foremost, I am an extremely grateful for the overwhelming help and
patience of Polje’s Ashkali and Romani residents. They invited me into
their homes, taught a very awkward American how to scavenge, trusted
me with their stories, and never stopped looking after me.
I must also thank those individuals who generously supported me and my
research in Belgrade. Slobodan Stanković worked tirelessly as my research
assistant. His remarkable insights, feedback, and linguistic skills played an
enormous role in the success of this project. I could not have done it without
him. I must credit Goran Ševo, my longtime friend and fellow Australian
National University alum, for first encouraging me to work in Belgrade.
Later, he supplied invaluable advice and logistical help, which made this
research possible. Bojan Žikić coordinated my time in the Department of
Ethnology and Anthropology at the University of Belgrade and commented
on an early draft of this book. Our discussions of Serbia and Serbian anthro-
pology grounded my thinking and writing. Biljana Sikimić kindly shared her
expertise regarding Serbia’s diverse Romani population and introduced me
to academic networks in Belgrade. Finally, I must acknowledge the financial
assistance of the Fulbright Scholar Program and the support of the United
States Embassy in Serbia.
vii
viii acknowledgments
I also received tremendous help from my friends and colleagues in the
United States. From the very beginning, Ruth Anderson contributed her
boundless encouragement, knowledge, and editing skills. Ian Hancock
graciously provided advice prior to my departure for Belgrade and then
upon my return. I would also like to thank Carol Silverman and Melissa
Caldwell, who offered insightful and valuable comments on the manu-
script. At the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, I am grateful for the unceas-
ing support and guidance of Christine Beaule, Jan Brunson, Alexander
Mawyer, and Christian Peterson.
Introduction
the other world
Polje was a space unto itself. An informal Romani settlement on the edge
of Belgrade, it was home to approximately two hundred Ashkali and Roma
living in small one-room shacks. Piles of trash lined the narrow lane that
served as the main thoroughfare. Water was obtained from nearby fire
hydrants while electricity was siphoned from streetlights. Completely con-
cealed by a series of small berms, Polje was situated between two contrast-
ing geographies. On one side, gray concrete high-rise buildings punctuated
an urban landscape, and on the other, bucolic green fields stretched to the
horizon. If Polje seemed out of place, so too did its inhabitants. Every resi-
dent was a migrant, refugee, or displaced person. A site of temporary asy-
lum, the settlement was largely divorced from the realm beyond its bor-
ders. A teenage resident, Deon, aptly described Polje as “the other world.”1
But the settlement was also an Other world, where the exiled sought to
build their lives before they were inevitably dislodged once more.
Characterized as unhygienic, a squatter camp, and a slum, Polje was one
of an estimated 583 “substandard” Romani settlements that pervaded
Serbia.2 Serbs decried the blight caused by these settlements while the
government prioritized their destruction. Polje’s residents were continu-
ally under threat; their homes would never be secure. In addition, informal
1