About us History of the Research Center on Antigypsyism
The phenomenon of antigypsyism still has a significant influence on the perception and social situation of Europe's largest and most marginalized minority groups, the Sinti and Roma. Research into this particular form of racism is therefore of great socio-political relevance.
After a long period of academic obscurity, antigypsyism research has experienced a remarkable upswing in the last ten years. One visible result of this development is the establishment of the Antigypsyism Research Center (RCA) in July 2017 at Heidelberg University's Department of History. As the first specialist institution of its kind, it deals with fundamental studies on the causes, forms and consequences of antigypsyism in European societies from the Middle Ages to the present day.
On January 1, 2023, Prof. Dr. Tanja Penter, holder of the Chair of Eastern European History at the Department of History at Heidelberg University, took over as Academic Director of the RCA.
Evaluation and five-year anniversary
In July 2022, the Rector of Heidelberg University hosted an academic ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of the research center. Prof. Dr. Bernhard Eitel, Rector of Heidelberg University, Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science Theresia Bauer, the Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma Romani Rose, Daniel Strauß, Chairman of the Association of German Sinti and Roma, Baden-Württemberg State Association, RCA Scientific Manager Dr. Frank Reuter, the Head of the RCA Encyclopaedia Project Dr. Karola Fings and Dr. Maria Bogdan, the first scholarship holder of the Romani Rose Fellowship, gave welcoming addresses and speeches. The evening was accompanied by Ferenc Snétberger on the guitar and Benjamin Urbán on the grand piano.
In spring 2022, the RCA underwent an evaluation process. As part of this, an inspection and survey was carried out by the evaluation committee on 25 May in the presence of the Minister of Science, Research and the Arts in Baden-Württemberg, Theresia Bauer, and the Rector of Heidelberg University, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernhard Eitel, took place. The State Government Commissioner against Anti-Semitism, Dr. Michael Blume, addressed the audience on this occasion.
We need the research center in Baden-Württemberg to historically commemorate the disenfranchised and murdered. But above all, we also need it to educate current and future generations in the best sense of the word, to protect them from the violence of exclusion and conspiracy beliefs.
Statement by Dr. Michael Blume (Anti-Semitism Commissioner of the State Government of Baden-Württemberg) on the occasion of the FSA inspection on 25 May 2022
In their final overall vote on May 27, 2022, the six experts, chaired by Bielefeld literary scholar Prof. Dr. Klaus-Michael Bogdal, unanimously recommended “the continued funding of the Antigypsyism Research Center without any reservations and with emphasis”. It had “fulfilled its pioneering tasks in an outstanding manner”.
Independent Commission on Antigypsyism
In spring 2019, Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer appointed the FSA's Scientific Director, Dr. Frank Reuter, and the subsequent project manager Dr. Karola Fings as members of the Independent Commission on Antigypsyism (ICA) appointed by the German Bundestag. This was the first government commission with this focus in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. The committee consisted of eleven people from academia and civil society who dealt with antigypsyism from an interdisciplinary perspective. The ICA's final report, comprising over 600 pages and based on 15 current academic studies, was submitted to the Federal Government in May 2021. The report classifies antigypsyism as a massive problem for society as a whole and as an all-encompassing everyday experience of Sinti and Roma. The commission calls for a comprehensive strategy against antigypsyism and a fundamental change of perspective in German society that focuses on the structural causes of the problem. The numerous recommendations for action contained in the report point to various research desiderata and highlight the need for comprehensive scientific research into the history and present of antigypsyism.
On December 14, 2023, the German Bundestag discussed the recommendations for action of the Independent Commission on Antigypsyism in a 40-minute debate and adopted a cross-party resolution (BT-DS 20/9779) with 27 specific recommendations by a large majority. The resolution makes explicit reference to the Antigypsyism Research Center. Under point 13, the Bundestag calls on the Federal Government to do so,
“to address the research desiderata identified in the ICA report by expanding research funding accordingly, and to promote long-term research projects that deal specifically with both the historical development and contemporary forms of antigypsyism; a focus should be on practice-related research projects; in addition, the federal government should advocate expanding the 'Antigypsyism Research Center' at the University of Heidelberg and examine funding” (Deutscher Bundestag, 20. Wahlperiode, Drucksache 20/9779, Seite 6).
Acquisition of third-party funded projects
Since February 2024: Sub-project “Transformations of the police antigypsyist discourse: from ‘racial’ paradigm to genocidal practice (1850-1950)” as part of the DFG Research Group “Antigypsyism and Ambivalence in Europe (1850-1950)”; Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Iulia-Karin Patrut (European University of Flensburg).
Since October 2023: Research project “Antigypsyism and Minority Subjectivity in German Popular Culture: Football, Hip-Hop, Carnival”, funded by the Alfred Landecker Foundation.
From October 2022: Sub-project “Antigypsyism-critical film analysis” in the research network “Antigypsyism in the media - from interdisciplinary analysis to critical media competence” (Heidelberg School of Education/University of Heidelberg/Pädagogische Hochschule Heidelberg), funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Since July 2020: International research and publication project “Encyclopaedia of the Nazi genocide against the Sinti and Roma in Europe”, funded by the Federal Foreign Office
2020 - 2022: Research project “Artistic Alternatives to the Antigypsy Gaze”, funded by the Field of Focus 3 of Heidelberg University.
Since 2019: “Romani Rose Fellowship”, funded by the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation
Since 2018: Sub-project “Continuities of antigypsyism in Baden-Württemberg after 1945” as part of the joint research project “Reintegration, attribution of guilt and compensation - coping and not coping with the Nazi past in the three predecessor states of Baden-Württemberg 1945-1952”, funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation.
2018 - 2019: Research project "Stigma ‘Gypsy’. Visual Dimensions of Antigypsyism", funded by the Field of Focus 3 of Heidelberg University.
On 1 January 2018, Dr. Frank Reuter took over the scientific management of the research center.
Establishment and opening
By funding the Antigypsyism Research Center, we are setting an example - against silence, for enlightenment. In doing so, the state is also fulfilling its historical obligation towards the Sinti and Roma
Theresia Bauer, Baden-Württemberg Minister of Science, Research and the Arts (2011-2022)
The official opening of the Antigypsyism Research Center took place on 28.7.2017 at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The event, hosted by the Rector of Ruperto Carola, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Eitel, was attended by Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science Theresia Bauer, the Chairman of the Association of German Sinti and Roma, Baden-Württemberg State Association, Daniel Strauß, and the Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose. Afterwards, the guests were welcomed to the new premises of the Antiziganism Research Center - Hauptstraße 216.
Since 2017, the state of Baden-Württemberg has been financing the new research facility with funds from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science.
At its meeting on 25.10.2016, the Senate of Heidelberg University resolved to establish the research unit and its statutes in accordance with Section 19 (1) (7) and (10) LHG, which were published in the Rector's Gazette on 22.12.2016. The research center was thus established at the Department of History at Heidelberg University. Following an election by the Board of Directors of the Department of History, Prof. Dr. Edgar Wolfrum was appointed Scientific Director of the Research Centre by the Rector of Heidelberg University. The then holder of the Chair of Contemporary History had developed the concept for the research center together with members of the Minority History and Civil Rights in Europe department.
Statute of the Research Center in the Rector's Gazette, No. 16/2016, p. 1099
According to its statutes (§ 1, 2), the FSA has the following tasks in particular
- to conduct basic scientific research into the causes, forms and consequences of antiziganism in European societies from the Middle Ages to the present day,
- to investigate mechanisms of discrimination on a theoretical and preferably comparative basis at local, regional, national and transnational level,
- and to place interdisciplinary research in the context of research into racism, stereotypes, violence and inclusion.
In addition, the research center should make its findings available to the scientific and non-scientific public, practice-oriented research and action-oriented prevention work (§ 1, 3).
Preparatory work and state treaty
Since 2013, the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation has funded central, thematically related research at the Chair of Contemporary History, from which the FSA emerged. The research area Minority History and Civil Rights in Europe, which received three years of start-up funding, researched the relationship between minorities and the majority society from a historical perspective with a focus on antigypsyism research.
The basis for the establishment of the Antigypsyism Research Center is the state treaty between the Baden-Württemberg Association of Sinti and Roma (VDSR) and the state of Baden-Württemberg. This was concluded on November 28, 2013. The state parliament approved this agreement by legislative resolution on December 18, 2013 (GBl. 2013 481). According to Article 2 (2) of the state treaty, "the state and the VDSR-BW shall jointly strive in particular to establish a research center [...] on antigypsyism. Particular attention is to be paid to the critical examination of the history of so-called ‘Gypsy research’, which has been shaped by racist prejudices."
