Exploring Racial Capitalism: Critical Romani Studies in Central and Eastern Europe

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 'Exploring Racial Capitalism: Critical Romani Studies in Central and Eastern Europe' is the closing conference of the research project ‘Precarious labor and peripheral housing. The socio-economic practices of Romanian Roma in the context of changing industrial relations and uneven territorial development’ conducted at Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 2020-2023. Embracing PRECWORK’s approach, the conference opens up a dialogue about the condition of impoverished Roma in the field of housing, labor and migration, viewed in the wider political economy context that affected them through deindustrialization, uneven development and racialization processes. This event has invited distinguished scholars to present their findings on these themes and foster alliances between Roma and non-Roma researchers to understand racial capitalism from an East European perspective. We are convinced that Critical Romani Studies could and should have a contribution to the international investigation of racial capitalism.

𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Angéla Kóczé (CEU)
Béla Greskovits (CEU)
Don Kalb (University of Bergen)
Aleksandra Lewicki (University of Sussex)

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀:
Simona Barbu (Policy Officer with FEANTSA)/ József Böröcz (Rutgers University)/ Barbora Cernusakova (Goldsmiths University of London)/ Ismael Cortes (Independent Researcher. Former MP in the Spanish Congress of Deputies)/ Irina Culic (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Neda Deneva (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Hestia Delibas (Centro de Estudos Sociais, University of Coimbra) / Maria Dumitru (MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society in Oslo)/ Cayetano Fernández (Center for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, Portugal) / Ioana Florea (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Carmen Gheorghe (E-Romnja. Association for Promoting Roma Women's Rights)/ Sorin Gog (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Béla Greskovits (Central European University)/ Jan Grill (Universidad del Valle, Colombia)/ Rafael Buhigas Jiménez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain)/ Don Kalb (University of Bergen)/ Angéla Kócze (Central European University)/ Aleksandra Lewicki (University of Sussex)/ Jonathan McComb (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)/ Manuel Mireanu (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Anna Mirga-Kruszelnicka (European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture)/ Raluca Perneș (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Gergő Pulay (Centre for Social Sciences, Budapest)/ Prem Kumar Rajaram (Central European University)/ Andrew Ryder (Institute of Political and International Studies, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest)/ Jelena Savic (Center for Gender Research at Uppsala University, Sweden)/ Gábor Scheiring (Georgetown University Qatar)/ Dana Solonean (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Marius Taba (Independent Researcher)/ Nidhi Trehan (CEU &Institute of Social Sciences in New Delhi)/ Gabriel Troc (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ Virág Tünde (Hungarian Academy of Science, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Budapest) / Corina Tulbure (GRECS, University of Barcelona)/ Nikola Venkov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)/ Eniko Vincze (Babeș-Bolyai University)/ George Zamfir (Babeș-Bolyai University)

𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲:
Angéla Kócze (Central European University), Márton Rövid (Central European University), Enikő Vincze (Babeș-Bolyai University), Sorin Gog (Babeș-Bolyai University), Macrina Moldovan (Babeș-Bolyai University), Esther Holbrook (Central European University)

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: The conference is organized in the frame of the research project ‘Precarious labor and peripheral housing. The socio-economic practices of Romanian Roma in the context of changing industrial relations and uneven territorial development’ conducted at Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania in collaboration with The Romani Studies Program from CEU and the international journal Critical Romani Studies.

𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 is an international, interdisciplinary, double blind peer-reviewed journal providing a forum for activist-scholars to critically examine racial oppressions, different forms of exclusion, inequalities, and human rights abuses of Roma. Without compromising academic standards of evidence collection and analysis, the Journal seeks to create a platform to critically engage with academic knowledge production, and generate critical academic and policy knowledge targeting—amongst others—scholars, activists, and policymakers. Scholarly expertise is a tool, rather than the end, for critical analysis of social phenomena affecting Roma, contributing to the fight for social justice. The Journal especially welcomes the cross-fertilization of Romani studies with the fields of critical race studies, gender and sexuality studies, critical policy studies, diaspora studies, colonial studies, postcolonial studies, and studies of decolonization.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 is an independent academic unit of Central European University since 2017. The Romani Studies Program (RSP) aims to engage scholars, policy makers, and activists in interdisciplinary knowledge production and debate on Roma identity and movement; antigypsyism; social justice and policy making; gender politics; and structural inequality. RSP encompasses the Roma Graduate Preparation Program and the Advanced Certificate in Romani Studies. RSP offers courses for MA and PhD students of CEU and summer courses for graduate students and activists scholars from all over the world. RSP organizes annual academic conferences promoting critical approaches to Romani Studies and publishes Critical Romani Studies an international, interdisciplinary, double blind peer-reviewed open access journal. RSP supports internships and offers various fellowship primarily targeting Romani students and scholars.

The research project ‘𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼-𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁’ provides a comprehensive understanding of the living and working conditions of Romanian Roma faced by changing industrial relations and uneven development. We address responses to social marginalization, which is subjecting people both materially and symbolically at the intersection of precarious labor, peripheral housing and migration. Our case study is located in Baia Mare, the administrative and industrial center of Maramureş region. Based on this analysis, we are looking for the establishment of new connections, partnerships and solidarities between local actors at multiple levels dedicated to the empowerment of dispossessed Roma. This project is financed by the Research Program associated with Norway Grants 2014-2021 and administrated by UEFISCDI. The project is hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University and is implemented by a multidisciplinary and trans-national team. Contract 22 from 01/11/2020 (RO-NO-2019-0496).

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲: http://precwork.granturi.ubbcluj.ro/en/conference-2/

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The conference is taking place online and participation is free of charge, but it requires registration. After registering for the event you will receive details about the conference program and the Zoom links. You can register here: https://forms.office.com/e/MSAgrAiZWd

See less