Participation of Sinti and Roma
The trust of Sinti and Roma in academia has been deeply shaken by history and continues to resonate today. Decades after the end of the Nazi regime, materials created in the context of racial persecution and genocide were still used in German universities. These continuities have contributed to the perception of academia by many members of the minority as an ambivalent or even threatening space.
Against this background, the Research Unit aims to create access to academia and reduce existing barriers. A particular focus is on supporting minority early-career researchers who are seeking guidance and orientation for academic careers – including, for example, members of the “Student Association of Sinti and Roma in Germany.” The goal is to guide Sinti and Roma toward scientific careers while strengthening their trust in academic institutions.
A central component of this work are empowerment workshops held prior to the consortium’s conferences. These workshops provide safe spaces for exchange, guidance, and networking and allow participants to engage fully in subsequent scientific events. The workshops are coordinated by project leaders and experts—including representatives from the minority—in close consultation with the Research Unit’s advisory board.
Ultimately, this initiative seeks to increase the participation of Sinti and Roma in academia and establish their presence as a self-evident part of scholarly life.
Francesco Arman
Francesco Arman is a German politician and activist for the rights of Sinti and Roma. He studied social sciences and is particularly committed to supporting and networking Sinti and Roma students. As co-founder and chair of the Association of Sinti and Roma Students in Germany (SVSRD), he works to strengthen their visibility and participation in academia.
Radoslav Ganev
Radoslav Ganev is a political scientist whose research focuses on the representation of ethnic minorities and the political participation of marginalized groups. He is active in the field of migration and integration in Munich and is engaged in civil society as a board member of Lichterkette e.V. and founder of Romanity e.V.
Dr. Maria Bogdan
Dr. Maria Bogdan is a media scholar and cultural theorist focusing on the relationship between racism and media. She holds a PhD in Film, Media, and Cultural Theory from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest and is a Fulbright alumna as well as co-founder and editor of the journal Critical Romani Studies.
Mirjam Karoliy
Mirjam Karoly is a political scientist and long-standing advocate for the rights and recognition of Roma and Sinti. Since 1993, she has been a member of the Austrian Advisory Council for Roma and has worked extensively on issues of inclusion and public visibility.
She is also active in international remembrance work, including as a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Silas Kropf
Silas Kropf is a social worker and a German Sinto who has long been engaged in advocating for the rights and social participation of Sinti and Roma in Germany. He is a long-standing board member of Amaro Drom and co-founder of the Cologne Queer Roma Initiative.
His work focuses on supporting civil society organizations and increasing the visibility of Sinti and Roma communities.
Dr. Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska
Dr. Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska is a cultural anthropologist at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, specializing in Roma, minority issues, and human rights. She completed her PhD in 2011 on the impact of EU funding programs on the living conditions of Roma in Poland and is active in both research and teaching.
She is also engaged in civil society, serves as editor of Dialog Pheniben, and is a member of the Polish delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
Dr. Mirjam Wilhelm
Dr. Mirjam Wilhelm is an art historian and has been a research fellow at the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies (VWI) since 2021. She completed her PhD at the University of Oldenburg and was a Visiting Assistant in Research at Yale University in 2018.
Her research spans history, Jewish studies, cultural studies, and art and visual studies.
Dr. Mihai Surdu
Dr. Mihai Surdu is a sociologist and scholar in Romani Studies, focusing on knowledge production and classification practices. He has held positions at the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and is currently a visiting researcher in Science and Technology Studies.
His book Those Who Count. Expert Practices of Roma Classification (2016) examines the scientific practices of categorizing and counting Roma populations and their political implications.
Dr. Sunnie Rucker-Chang
Dr. Sunnie Rucker-Chang is the Kenneth E. Naylor Professor of South Slavic Culture and Associate Professor of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures and Interim chair of African and African American Studies and at the Ohio State University. She works on the social construction of race and culture as it relates to privileged and marginalized communities in Europe.