Autore: Clerici, Eleonora
Titolo: Abyssal exclusion and advanced marginality. The case of undocumented Romanians in downtown Bucharest
Periodico: Rassegna italiana di sociologia
Anno: 2025 - Fascicolo: 4 - Pagina iniziale: 643 - Pagina finale: 668

In Romania, Law No. 290 of 24 October 2005 stipulates that obtaining an ID card requires either a stable residence or an individual willing to officially declare the applicant as part of their household. This system marginalizes those without such support, giving rise to the «undocumented Romanians», a diverse group that includes the homeless, squatters, and members of the Roma community who lack identity documents due to the absence of an official residence. This paper analyses their experiences of exclusion in downtown Bucharest through a theoretical framework that combines Boaventura de Sousa Santos’s theory of abyssal exclusion with Loïc Wacquant’s analysis of advanced marginality. The data were gathered through twenty-two semi-structured interviews with organizations and experts that work with marginal communities. The findings illustrate how the legal mechanism to obtain documents acts as an abyssal line, framing the exclusion of the undocumented as an example of abyssal exclusion. Also, they show how the informality of undocumented Romanians can be interpreted as an example of advanced marginality. The significance of this paper is twofold: it contributes to understanding the complexity of undocumented Romanians’ conditions in Bucharest through an alternative theoretical approach; and it spotlights the interconnectedness of abyssal exclusion and advanced marginality illustrating their mutually reinforcing legitimization.




SICI: 0486-0349(2025)4<643:AEAAMT>2.0.ZU;2-6
Testo completo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/download/article/10.1423/116950
Testo completo alternativo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1423/116950

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