CEU Press
Romani Liberation
Jan Selling
- Title
- Romani Liberation
- Subtitle
- A Northern Perspective on Emancipatory Struggles and Progress
- Author
- Jan Selling
- ISBN
- 9789633866900
- Format
- eBook ePub (Adobe DRM)
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 10 - 06 - 2022
- Categories
- Discipline
- Social and Political Sciences
- Imprint
- Also available as
- Hardback - € 122,00
Foreword
Nicoleta Bitu
Acknowledgement
Introduction
State of the Art
Outline
PART 1: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
Chapter 1. International Perspective: The long Road to Liberation
India's Forgotten Children?
Anatolia, a Romani Melting Pot
Early Emancipation – and Slavery
Persecution and Protective Letters of Safe Conduct
“Equal Citizens of the Soviet Union”
Resistance during Nazi Rule
1940s: Fragments of Early Activism
1950s: The Paris Milieu and Legal Emancipation
1960s: Internationalisation and Extra-Parliamentary Struggle
1970s: World Romani Congress, German Sinti and Norwegian Travellers
1980s: Demands for Historical Justice, Invoking the Holocaust
1990s: The Fall of the Wall, Desegregation, Feminism, European Agenda
2000s: Minority Rights, Refugees, the Begging Issue
2010s: Acknowledging Antigypsyism, LBTQ, Inclusion, Pan-European Identity Building
Chapter 2. Romani Politics for Historical Justice and the Fight Against Antigypsyism
Historical Justice
Official Apologies and Recognition
Restitution, Reparations and Compensation
Romani Extra-Parliamentary Interventions Against Antigypsyism
Chapter 3. Decolonizing Romani Studies
Scientific Racism, Philoziganism, Gypsylorism, and Antigypsyism
Challenging Antigypsyist Hegemony Through Interventions
Romani Intellectuals Enter the Scene
The Stockholm Compromise
Academic Populism: The Dr Honoris Scandal
Concluding Remarks
Chapter 4. Agency, Structures and Discourses in Romani Liberation
The Agency Perspective
The Structural Perspective
The Discourse Perspective
PART 2: THE SWEDISH EXPERIENCE
Chapter 5. Romani Emancipation in Sweden: A Historical Overview
Historical Background
Early Romani Activism in Sweden
The Significance of Katarina Taikon
Recognition as a National Minority and Inclusion Policy
A Look Ahead
Excursus: Rosa Taikon –Romani Silversmithing and Activism
Chapter 6. Momentum for Romani Rights in Sweden: 2010–2016?
White Papers, Police Registries and the Begging Debate
The Swedish Example
Momentum Evolves
Influence of the Begging Debate
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Chapter 7. Final Reflection
Afterword by Soraya Post
Afterword by Hans Caldaras
Bibliography
Index of Names
Jan Selling
Romani Liberation
A Northern Perspective on Emancipatory Struggles and Progress
Centered on the trajectory of the emancipation of Roma people in Scandinavia, Romani Liberation is a powerful challenge to the stereotype describing Romani as passive and incapable of responsibility and agency. The author also criticizes benevolent but paternalistic attitudes that center on Romani victimhood.
The first part of the book offers a comprehensive overview of the chronological phases of Romani emancipation in Sweden and other countries. Underscoring the significance of Roma activism in this process, Jan Selling profiles sixty Romani activists and protagonists, including numerous original photos. The narrative is followed by an analysis of the concepts of historical justice and of the process of decolonizing Romani Studies. Selling highlights the impact of the historical contexts that have enabled or impeded the success of the struggles against discrimination and for equal rights, emphasizing Romani activism as a precondition for liberation.
The particular Swedish framework is accentuated by a stimulating preface by the international activist Nicoleta Bitu, and afterwords by two prominent Romani advocates, the politician Soraya Post and the singer, author, and elder Hans Caldaras.
Author
Jan Selling
Jan Selling is Associate Professor in History is Head of the Romani Studies Department at Södertörn University, Sweden.
