Between Pedagogy and Self-Articulation: Roma Necessary Fictions in East Central Europe

Abstract

Abstract“Necessary fictions,” a term coined by Homi K. Bhabha (The theory of reading, The Harvester Press, Brighton, 1989), refers to literature of postcolonial nations rewriting their history in such a way as to compensate for the lack of independence and agency in the colonial period. The Roma nation in East Central Europe has all the features of what in postcolonial studies is defined as the subaltern—no voice and representation of their own. This minority, due to a range of reasons, did not create such “necessary fictions” that we could compare to the postcolonial ones. The lack of such literary self-presentation in the national languages of East Central Europe has often been seen as a challenge for non-Romani or/and assimilated Roma writers. This was especially the case after World War II, when a massive action of enforced settlement of this nomadic nation took place across all communist countries, and there was a strong need to promote Roma culture as a—although not equivalent—part of local national landscapes. A need to “translate” Roma culture in the literary language was an important part of the state-planned assimilation. These translations were meant as the substitute for the authentic “necessary fictions” archive of literature. This trend continued after the political breakthrough of 1989, already in a different social context.