Liberation in Five Acts: The Roma People in Romanian History and Contemporary Society

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

This roundtable offers insights from five scholars focusing on different aspects of Roma life in Romania, with a focus on “liberation” as related to epistemic frameworks, anti-Roma racism, stereotypes, history and historical legacies, and contemporary realities. The specific trajectories of Roma people in Romania--a racialized ethnic group subjected to enslavement by the Orthodox Church, the Crown, and nobility for over 500 years --both before and after the end of slavery provide essential insights into understanding liberation and nation-state formation. Reflecting on resistance, school textbooks, literary engagements, medical discourse, and access to education, the participants in this roundtable invite us to understand liberation as a concept and practice.

Sub Unit

• Anthropology, Cultural Studies

Chair

• Maria Bucur, Indiana U Bloomington

Roundtable Members

• Manuela Boatca, U of Freiburg (Germany)

• Maria Georgiana Dumitru, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society (Norway)

• Margareta Matache, Harvard U

• Maria Luiza Medeleanu, U of Bucharest (Romania)