Die Literatur der Roma und Sinti. Von der Entstehung zur Rezeption

The stereotype of the "gipsy" was primarily created, passed on and consolidated by the writings of non-Romanies. In their own literature, however, Romani people paint a complex picture of human beings who do not hide behind the stereotype. The "gipsy" is a creation of non-Romanies. In their discourse they stripped Romani people of their humanity - with disastrous consequences. In Romani literature Romani people recover their humanity through writing. The central aim of this project was to study the specific conditions leading to the creation of Romani literature as well as to analyse its characteristics and its identity-giving function from the point of view of Comparative Studies. In all European countries where Romani people live, they create literary works both in Romani and in the languages of their country, with the number of authors and publications differing widely. The literary production of Romani people must be seen in connection with the various historical, linguistic and socio-cultural conditions which define the situation of the individual groups. Therefore great attention has been paid to these extrinsic factors. It has been shown that there was no Romani literature in some countries like the USSR, Bulgaria and Romania during certain periods of time because, officially, there were no Romani people, and their works - in particular in Romani - could not be published. During periods of less political oppression, however, Romani writers published a large number of literary works within a very short time. Apart from the problems caused by the political situation in the individual countries, group pressure is a further obstacle to the production of Romani literature. Studies have shown that some groups (e.g. the Sinti) consider writing in Romani a betrayal of their own private code, whereas in some groups writing is seen as a breach of established roles which the group members are supposed to fulfill. This fact particularly applies to women writers. In this context, the various functions writing has are of particular interest and have been studied systematically in this project. Functions of the oral tradition, which is central to Romani culture, have been transferred to the written literary text, e.g. strengthening a sense of belonging, conveying self-esteem, with the positive victorious hero of Romani fairy tales reappearing in short stories and novels or entertaining pieces of writing etc. But literature also has new, additional functions: writing helps Romani people to cope with loneliness and isolation and literature is used as a medium of protest against present circumstances. The quest for identity in their writing reflects their search for a place in the often hostile society of Non-Romanies. Additionally, the transition from the oral tradition to writing is mirrored in the most popular literary genres. Autobiographical texts and poetry play an important role in Romani literature. The Practical Application of this Research Project The research results can be used in schools to great advantage. The encounter with Romani literature enables students to question and to revise existing patterns of prejudice. Additionally, the results of this study on the literature of Romani people are included in the recently founded "Romani Library". The object of the Romani Library is to publish modern Romani literature in six different languages, thus making it accessible to readers all over Europe. Initiators and members of the project are academic institutions, several European publishing houses, Romani cultural organisations, the International Romani-Writers` Association, and NGOs.