Research project Antigypsyism and minority subjectivities in German popular culture
Soccer, hip-hop, carnival
Despite increasing awareness of antigypsyism, Sinti and Roma experience discrimination on a daily basis. This study examines the inclusion and exclusion of Sinti and Roma in popular cultures, focussing on three questions:
(1) analysing the (dis)continuities in “gypsy images” in soccer, hip-hop and carnival,
(2) analysing the strategies used by Sinti and Roma to gain agency and representation in these social spaces, and
(3) how postmemory, i.e. the transmission of traumatic memories from one generation to the next, influences antigypsyism and minority subjectivities in the present.
Based on a broad source base consisting of performances, interviews, internet contributions, song lyrics, images and participant observation, this project examines how inclusion and exclusion are negotiated in popular cultures. Together, the three case studies – football, hip-hop and carnival – form a comprehensive work that offers an analysis of both antiziganism towards Sinti and Roma and their counter-strategies.
The research project is funded by the Alfred Landecker Foundation.
