DFG Research Unit ‘Antiziganism and Ambivalence in Europe (1850-1950)

The Research Unit analyses the intertwined history of representations of others and self-articulations that contributed to the inclusion and emancipation as well as the exclusion and elimination of Sinti and Roma Europe between 1850 and 1950.

This goal is achieved by deconstructing antigypsyist stereotypes in art, the state and science and by reconstructing the agency of Sinti and Roma. Together, transfers, synchronies and asynchronies between European spaces from Spain to Germany and Romania will be analysed.

The results of the Research Unit will be integrated into a multimodal database that will be permanently available to the scientific public. With the involvement of an international network of academics, the results will be published at four conferences. Two habilitations, three dissertations and six monographs will be produced. The Research Unit attaches particular importance to the participation of Sinti and Roma, for which an advisory board with nine members and the promotion of academic careers from the minority are planned.

Subproject 1 ‘Pictorial narrative and visual staging of antiziganistic motifs (1848-1930)’ explores the significance of modern pictorial narratives that perpetuate traditional stereotypical motifs and subjects under the direction of Prof. Dr. Peter Bell and Prof. Dr. Melanie Ulz, while subproject 2 ‘Spectacle, curiosity, subalternity - discursive negotiations of identity and alterity in the context of popular knowledge media (1850-1950)’ under the direction of Prof. Dr. Kirsten von Hagen uses examples from Spain and France, in particular Paris, to examine the extent to which Sinti and Roma  were the subjects of spectacular productions during the period of investigation. Together with subproject 3 ‘Ambiguities of the audiovisual: Gypsy Figures in Feature Films (1895-1950)', led by Prof. Dr. Matthias Bauer and Dr. Radmila Mladenova, which explores the origins, changing meanings and aesthetic and political functions of Gypsy figures in silent films and early sound films (from 1927), these three subprojects focus on the ambiguities of artistic media.

In contrast, the other three subprojects are concerned with expository and journalistic texts and documents of scientific and police practice. Subproject 4 ‘Reflection and projection: “Zigeunerkunde” in the Danube-Carpathian region (1880-1930)’ under the direction of Prof. Dr Thomas Bohn explores the emancipatory and defamatory potential of so-called ‚Zigeunerkunde‘; subproject 5 ‘Rom*nja journalism in the interwar period (1918-1939)’ under the direction of Prof. Dr. Iulia-Karin Patrut is dedicated to Rom*nja journalism, and thus to political self-articulation and resistance against exclusionary tendencies, while subproject 6 ‘Transformations of the police antigypsyist discourse: from the “racial” paradigm to genocidal practice (1850-1950)’ under the direction of Prof. Dr. Tanja Penter and Dr. Frank Penter is dedicated to the political self-articulation and resistance against exclusionary tendencies. Prof. Dr. Tanja Penter and Dr. Frank Reuter examine the change from a primarily sociographically accentuated to a ‘racial-biological’ concept of Gypsies, which goes hand in hand with the transformation of the police into an agency of persecution and extermination.

Mercator Fellow
As a Senior Advisor, Prof. Dr. Klaus-Michael Bogdal (University Bielefeld) contributes his extensive expertise to the DFG research Unit and i.a. writes a monograph on the forgotten French actress and painter Tela Tchai.

Start-up Funding and Associated Habilitation Project
Dr. Dezso Mate is preparing a research proposal within the framework of the DFG research Unit on the topic „Networking Gypsy Lore Society with Rom*nja in Central and Eastern Europe (1888-1939)“.