Roma Rising

The work looks at the growth of a Romany consciousness and intelligentsia, and the consolidation of Romany culture/cultures and identity in eastern Europe, where most of Europe's estimated seven or eight and half million Roma live. This resurgence of the Roma identity has been achieved in the face of economic hardship and hostility from large sections of the "host" societies, without the aid of a territorial "mother" or "kin" state, and has occurred mostly within the last ten to 15 years. This book does not aim to give a comprehensive account of the situation of the Roma in every country; instead it highlights key factors with examples from differe4nt countries. The opening chapters look at culture as a crucial aspect of identity, as well as discussing nationalism, minorities and the developing situation of the Roma in the new Europe. This is followed by an examination of early attempts are developing a Romany culture up to the Romany holocaust. The book than concentrates on the post-war period with various international Romany congresses and the consolidation and standardisation of the different Romany languages and dialects.
The catastrophic decline in economic circumstances of the majority or Romany groups and the endemic racism of most "host" societies towards Roma which has come to the fore with the collapse of communism, and the rise of Roma self-organisation, noting the seemingly perennial problem of fragmentation of Romany groups. Finally the authors look at the growing outside international focus on Roma and their current problems.