Reflections on the Use of Classifications in the Juridical Method: The Case of Roma Groups in Italy.

The juridical method rejects a polythetic logic, favouring a monothetic procedure of classification according to which precise and necessary traits are shared by all the elements that make up a category. Such an approach, however, is ill suited for dealing with objects of analysis that escape easy reductions, and it fails to grasp the subtleties of reality. The categories applied to Roma groups are emblematic in this regard. The paper examines the classificatory vocation characterising the Italian juridical approach to Roma, exploring its repercussions on their life and fostering collaboration between jurists and anthropologists for the development of efficient juridical tools.