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Engaging with Decolonisation, Tackling Antigypsyism: Lessons from Teaching Romani Studies at the Central European University in Hungary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2021

Ethel Brooks ,
Colin Clark  and
Iulius Rostas
Ethel Brooks
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA Email: [email protected]
Colin Clark
Affiliation:
University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, Scotland Email: [email protected]
Iulius Rostas
Affiliation:
Central European University, Vienna/Budapest Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In discussions about ‘race’, empire, imperialism – and the decolonisation of the curriculum in European universities – the discipline of Romani Studies has, until recently, been relatively quiet. This article seeks to address this silence and offers commentary on the institutional silences, via both disciplinary historical and contemporary country-specific analysis. A case study is investigated to tease out the ontological and epistemological transitions from early 19th Century Gypsylorism to 21st Century Critical Romani Studies: the teaching and learning of Romani Studies at the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. We argue that the legacy of Gypsylorism, as much as the political climate in which the teaching and learning of contemporary Romani Studies occurs, are important aspects to consider. In moving forwards, we suggest that the models and pedagogies adopted at CEU since 2015 offer a useful and critical template for other universities and departments to consider adopting in progressing Romani knowledge production.

Keywords

DecolonisationRomaantigypsyismRomani studiesCEU
Type
Article
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 21 , Issue 1: Themed Issue: ’Race’, Learning and Teaching in Social Policy , January 2022 , pp. 68 - 79
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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