Course Director:     

Michael Stewart, University College London

Resource Persons:     

Gyorgy Csepeli, ELTE, Budapest

Victor Friedman, Chicago

Nicolae Gheorghe, RAS, Bucharest

Iren Kertesz Wilkinson, London

Katalin Kovalcsik, MTA, Budapest

János Ladányi, University of Economics, Budapest

Alaina Lemon, Michigan

Yaron Matras, Manchester

Andzrej Mirga, Jagellonian, Krakow

Judith Okely, Hull

What is the course about? What will I learn?

It is common knowledge that the problem of Roma/non-Roma relations constitutes one of the most entrenched and difficult social problems facing post-communist societies in Eastern Europe. But why should this be? Often the Roma are blamed for their own difficulties. This course will challenge you to think more broadly about the Roma and the societies they live in. It will pose and answer questions like:

Students will learn how Roma issues cannot be treated in isolation as the problem of one ethnic group and yet how, at the same time, Roma cannot just be lumped together with other poor people. Students will learn that to understand Roma/non-Roma relations is to develop a deeper (and essential) understanding of their own societies.

Background

As the area of the world with the largest percentage of Roma, Central and Eastern Europe and fSU provides a testing ground for understanding this often misunderstood people. And yet scant academic research is conducted on issues relating to Roma and their presence is hardly felt in the academic curricula of the region (outside of criminology courses). Bringing together world class scholars in the field, this course will show how it is possible to conduct important and productive research in this area, how to integrate Roma issues into teaching programmes, and how a richer and deeper understanding of Roma changes ones perception not just of 'Gypsies' but of non-Roma and the societies we all live in.

What will be the content of the course?

Theme One: Romani Language, Identity, Standardisation and Politics Lectures: Professor Victor Friedman, Dr. Yaron Matras and Katalin Kovalcsik This section will consider the role of Romani language as a vehicle of both social integration and identity maintenance. The standardisation of Romani, so that the language can serve as a subject of study in non-Romani schools, as a vehicle of education (language of instruction), and as a language of literacy and access to resources (power), will be examined as well as broader political and sociological issues in sociolinguistics, social de-construction, and image construction. This section of the course is intended for those who do not have a background in linguistics, and knowledge of Romani is not necessary.

Theme Two: Romany Politics: Ethnic Group, Human Rights and Representation Lecturers: Dr. Andzrej Mirga, Dr. Yaron Matras, Dr. Nicholae Gheorghe, Dr. Alaina Lemon, Professor Judith Okely, Dr. Michael Stewart. This section takes politics in its broadest sense. Starting from the development of Romany politics in the context of varying socio and economic positions of different Roma populations we will move to case studies from Germany and Eastern Europe. Gheorghe and Mirga will include a discussion of the interaction between Romany politics and national and international governmental organizations. Struggles around the production of images of "Gypsies" in literature, mass media, and film (Lemon), will lead on to a consideration of the role of academic, non-Roma commentators and finally a contrast American and European Racial politics and the politics of everyday life in ghettos in these two parts of the world.

Theme Three: Comparative approaches to Roma and Gypsy cultures Lecturers: Dr Michael Stewart, Dr Janos Ladanyi, Prof Judith Okely; Professor Gyorgy Csepeli; Dr Iren Kertesz-Wilkinson; Katalin Kovalcsik This theme will cover comparative research on marginalised populations in the advanced industrial world; issues of sedentarism will lead on to the discussion of a distinctively anthropological sense of culture. Sociological approaches to economic differentiation, poverty, underclass formation and the politics of resistance to discrimination in the region will also feature. The presentation of ethnographic research on non-Romany speaking Gypsies will also feature here as well as reports (by Ladanyi) from the largest ever survey of Romany peoples across eastern Europe. Kovalcsik and Kertesz-Wilkinson will provide an international comparative perspective on the sociology of Romany music-making. Field Trip There will be a two-day field trip, organised by Agnes Daroczi and Janos Barsonyi during which participants will have a chance to meet Hungarian Roma in two different communities and discuss their findings on a third day.

Practical Participants will examine ways in which Roma issues may be dealt with in the classroom and research programs contrasting a number of different curricula and developing practical skills of creating new curricula relevant to the needs of students in the region today.

When discussing Roma the tendency is still to generalise and to homogenise. Through the wealth of documentary evidence and the wide range of often conflicting opinions you will be introduced to on this course, you will develop a sense of the variety in Roma cultures and the reasons for this variety.

Who will benefit from the course?

Romany and non-Romany graduates of any discipline in the social sciences and humanities whose work concerns them with economic and social transformations in the region, ethnic conflict, racism, educational and social policy. The course level will be advanced-introductory. While the course is primarily aimed at encouraging young academics and those who are thinking of taking up an academic career to integrate Roma issues in their future research and teaching, it will also be of interest to government officials, NGO workers and others who deal with Roma professionally. Romany students are particularly encouraged to apply.

How will you be taught?

Each teacher will give an equal number of lectures and seminars. During the seminars students will be expected to make presentations and participate in round-table discussions. Most evenings, therefore, students will have some preparatory work for the next day. Some evenings films will be shown, on others discussions will be organised with prominent activists. The short field trip will be followed by a day of analysis, ‘putting together’ the gathered data. In the final week students will have the chance to develop a short teaching or research programme incorporating the material from the course and present these to other participants in round-table discussions. A reading pack will be sent out to students in advance of the course and all students will be expected to have read and studied the texts contained therein before the course.

Central European University does not discriminate on the basis of—including, but not limited to—race, color, national and ethnic origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation in administering its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.