Voices from the Ghetto: Stories of Loneliness, Stigma, and Belonging in Six Bulgarian Cities

Abstract

This paper examines experiences of loneliness, stigma, and belonging among residents of Roma ghettoized neighborhoods in six Bulgarian cities – Lom, Dobrich, Ruse, Asenovgrad, Kyustendil, and Straldzha. The analysis is based on qualitative research methods: 36 in-depth interviews (six in each city) conducted with different members of the Roma community – men and women of various age groups, informal Roma leaders, educational and health mediators. This approach provides in-depth insights into the social realities of ghettoized neighborhoods, moving beyond superficial public perceptions. The study traces how spatial isolation and institu-tional stigma shape the sense of the “ghetto” – simultaneously as a place of social exclusion and of collective identity. At the center of the analysis are personal narratives of silence and fear, but also of faith and hope. Theoretically, the article builds on the concepts of social stigma, moral boundaries, and territorial margin-alization. Its aim is to demonstrate how “voices from below” articulate their lived experiences and to give visibility to a frequently neglected social world.