We Are The Roma

The author, himself a Romani, speaks directly to the gadze (non-Gypsy) reader about his people, their history since leaving India one thousand years ago and their rejection and exclusion from society in the countries where they settled, their health, food, culture and society.

The Roma or Romani people, commonly called gypsies, comprise one of the largest ethnic minorities in the European Union, with significant populations in the Balkan Peninsula as well as Spain, France, Russia and the Ukraine. Despite EU legislation designed to protect them against racism, blatant and persistent persecution continues, both in newer member states such as Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, and in countries at the heart of the EU. Valeriu Nicolae gives voice to the Roma cause, offering a precise and candid look at their current situation.

Roms (Gypsies) have lived among Europeans since the Middle Ages and yet still seem exotic to Westerners. Yaron Matras challenges stereotypes that have long been the unwelcome travel companions of this community, and offers a perspective-changing account of who the Roms are, how they live today, and how they have survived in Europe and America.

*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading "We are all wanderers on this earth. Our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." - Old Romani Proverb In the 21st century, cultural differences and individuality are often celebrated and protected across much of the world, and given society's conscientious awareness of such phenomena, it is therefore all the more surprising when considering the ignorance or indifference that the world at large exhibits towards the Romani people. Otherwise known as the "Roma," or by their popular misnomer, "the gypsies," the members of this highly undervalued and grossly misrepresented community have long been considered outcasts. More often than not, the Romani are branded by even those who fancy themselves liberals as "pikeys," "gyppos," and "gips." There's also a regrettably common term, "gypped," meaning "to cheat, or swindle," which perpetuates the damaging stereotype that the Roma are dishonest nuisances and societal pests. Even well-intentioned attempts to shine the spotlight on the community have sometimes been counterproductive, for they are often reduced to no more than exotic, whimsical entertainers for the privileged. According to a shocking email authored by an anonymous whistleblower in 2012, the staff at the Laurieston Job Center in Glasgow's Southside regularly referred to their Romani customers as "gypos, scum, beggars, suicide bombers, thieves, and [pedophiles]." The whistleblower cited the staff's disturbing comments regarding an unnamed Romani woman, who had brought her two children along to the job center: "The staff were all joking and saying they should sanction her for claiming whilst pimping out her kids. They then went on to make horrible remarks about the children, saying they were 'mongs.'" On August 5th of the same year, over 700 far-right "activists" stormed the heavily Romani-populated Hungarian village of Devescer. "Gypsy criminals," the mob chanted as they hurled rocks, paving stones, and other projectiles at the homes of their prey. "We will set your homes on fire. You will burn inside your homes!" The police, who were called to the scene, supposedly stood on the sidelines with their arms crossed, unwilling to intervene. The dangerous blanket statements issued by various European politicians in recent years are also a cause for concern. In 1992, Bert Karlsson, a prominent member of the Swedish New Democracy Party, claimed that "Gypsies [were] responsible for 90% of crime against senior citizens." In June 2008, the conservative Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ordered the fingerprinting of the 150,000 Romani, children included, as a way to crack down on street crime. In France, political parties from either end of the spectrum have blamed the Romani for the nation's problems, economic and otherwise. The Gypsies, asserted one interior minister, were responsible for one in every 10 crimes. It's fair to wonder why the abhorrent treatment of the Romani continues to slip below the radar of many social justice warriors, particularly in this age of globalization. This is all the more confounding given that many are aware of the ways the Roma have been persecuted over several centuries, most notoriously during the Holocaust. The Roma: The History of the Romani People and the Controversial Persecutions of Them across Europe examines their history, from their origins to today. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Roma like never before.

Those Who Countÿscrutinizes the scientific and expert practices of Roma classification and counting, and the politics of Roma-related knowledge production. The book takes a historical perspective on Roma group construction, both as an epistemic object and a policy target, with a focus on the expert discourse of the last two decades. The book argues that knowledge production on Roma is neither objective nor disinterested but rather is co-produced by political and academic actors driven by organizational interests with rather narrow disciplinary research traditions, as well as by political manifestos. The result of such co-production is a negative Roma public image circulating well beyond the expert discourse which reinforces stereotypes held by society at large. The case studies and examples presented in the book show that the state-led population census, policy related surveys, as well as academic and scientific research, together craft an essentialized Roma identity. The recently reemerged Roma-related genetic research imports assumptions, classifications, and narrations from the social sciences and contributes through sampling strategies, interpretation of data, and generalization to reify and pathologize Roma ethnicity. Roma are relegated by experts to several types of determinism: to a social category, to a frozen culture, and to a homogenous biologized entity.

Roma Downey--best known as the beloved angel on the TV show Touched by an Angel--has created a beautiful book filled with encouragement and hope, assuring us of God's comforting presence in our lives. Ever since she was a little girl, Roma has seen butterflies as a reminder of God's presence. They have appeared to her in moments when she needed encouragement and reminded her she is not alone. In this deeply personal book, Roma shares stories from her life, alongside quotes, poems, scripture, and artwork that she prays will uplift you as they have her. Each grace-filled chapter of this beautiful full-color book covers topics such as courage, strength, gratitude, love, and kindness. Reminiscent of the message of her popular television series, Touched by an Angel, this book's central theme is that there is a God, He loves you, and that even in your most difficult moments, He is by your side. That though you may feel alone, you are never truly alone. The subtle butterfly theme reminds us that the wonder of God's love and kindness is sometimes reflected in the gentle whispers of his creation and that we all have the power to transform from simple caterpillars into exquisite butterflies. Written in a way that encourages you to 'dip in and out' of its flowing content, this inspiring book invites you to return to its pages again and again, as life brings new challenges or you find yourself in need of new inspiration.

Based on first-hand accounts from Roma communities, Romaphobia is an examination of the discrimination faced by one of the most persecuted groups in Europe. Well-researched and informative, it shows that this discrimination has its roots in the early history of the European nation-state, and the ways in which the landless Roma have been excluded from national communities founded upon a notion of belonging to a particular territory. Romaphobia allows us to unpick this relationship between identity and belonging, and shows the way towards the inclusion of Roma in society, providing vital insights for other marginalized communities.

As social and economic injustice spreads from the historically marginalized to the 99 per cent both symbolically and realistically that which (seemingly) concerned the few now openly confronts the majority. This publication inquires into the contemporary moment through the proposition of the Roma model of existence as it resonates within artistic practice and civic imagination. By reversing outsider status, can we, with the emblematic claim that we are all Roma, invoke alternate futures? Artists, theorists and activists of both Roma and non-Roma origin speculate upon the possibilities in this selection of new and anthologized texts. Includes contributions by Zygmunt Bauman, Ethel Brooks, Sanja Ivekovic' and Salman Rushdie, among others.