Abstract
Antigypsyism has been frequently said to be a racist ideology. However, although some studies have engaged with the 'racist' component of the thesis, almost no work has been done in terms of specifying what ideology is and how a certain conception of it can enhance the understanding of anti-Gypsyism both as a concept and empirical phenomenon.
This paper explores the potential of the Lacanian theory of ideology as exemplified by Slavoj Žižek for developing anti-Gypsyism research. Overcoming the problem of false consciousness, Žižek's conception offers an analytical framework that allows re-examining and elaborating on certain issues from the perspective which weaves social and psychic realities without falling into the traps of psychological reductionism.
To illustrate this, this paper presents a Žižekian analysis of three issues that correspond to different aspects of the anti-Gypsyist phenomenon identified via ethnographic research among the non-Roma inhabitants of a declining neighbourhood with a significant Roma presence in Czechia. The issues are called envy, corruption and 'hard racism'.