The Gypsies of Czechoslovakia

Abstract

The 1952 edition of the Dictionary of the Czech Language defines “gypsy” as follows: “gypsy [with a small “g”]—a member of a wandering nation, a symbol of mendacity, theft, wandering,…jokers, liars, impostors and cheaters.” This definition was published two years after the Czechoslovak government outlawed any form of discrimination on the basis of color. As far as this writer recalls, the above definition expressed the popular understanding of the Gypsies as a group in the 1930s, in pre-World War II Czechoslovakia. Despite the persecution of the Gypsies during the war and the popular sympathy for them because of it, the prejudice against them have not disappeared and one can find its reflection in the official press as well as in conversations of the common people. Although one cannot generalize about members of any racial, national or religious group, it is evident from the official publications that most Gypsies pose certain problems for the regime and the society.

The “Cultural Turn” in the Classroom: Two Examples of Pedagogy and the Politics of Representation

“…In the name of assimilation, many children are channeled into schools were their language is not spoken and the educational infrastructure unprepared to cope with cultural difference. This has led to drastically high rates of Romany illiteracy and school dropouts (Kalvoda 1991) and Romany resistance to state programs they find culturally threatening (Kaprow 1982). This body of research suggests that the (often brief) implementation of subsidies and assimilation projects has intensified anti-Romany sentiment and contribute to discriminatory hiring practices which in turn leads to their concentration in overcrowded, substandard housing.…”

Romania's Roma Population: From Marginality to Social Integration

“…Milder policing and the breakdown of informing networks linked with state security made it easier for Romania's Roma to travel abroad without documents after 1989. Slovakia became a particularly congenial environment (Kalvoda 1991) since Roma could gain access by taking 'greenways' through the forests via Ukraine or by bribery at official border checkpoints: an issue frequently given media prominence (www.romnews. com).…”

Unveiling what should remain hidden: ethics and politics of researching marginal people

“…The Roma population was supposed to be integrated, and the "Gypsy question" thus be solved, by means of specific economic (mandatory labor), cultural (mandatory education) and social (spatial and ethnic desegregation) policies. There is too little space to go into details, but in retrospect, the "integration" policies under state socialism failed generally as they were unable to solve the problem of enduring Roma marginality (Barany 2002;Guy 1975;Kalvoda 1991;Pavelčíková 2004).…”