Article

On Living And Moving With Zor: Exploring Racism, Embodiment, And Health In Albania

ABTRACT:
Drawing on ethnographic research from Albania, I examine Romani and Balkan Egyptian women’s health inequities. While it has been well documented that Romani people, who constitute Europe’s largest socioracial minority group, experience racism and marginalization, how these forms of social exclusion shape health outcomes in the Balkans remains limited. I argue that racism is a root cause of social and health inequities, and that Romani and Egyptian women experience unique bodily fatigue marked by extreme zor (“difficulty,” “constraint”). An examination of zor can potentially provide an understanding of how racism and marginalization are embodied over time.