Critical Romani Studies Book Series Critical Romani Studies Book Series CRS “ C Constructing Constructing Identities over Time is a ground-breaking book both in its breadth and depth. o Jekatyerina Dunajeva boldly compares the construction of Romani identities in Hungary and n Russia from the vantage point of both states/institutions and communities. Her thorough s t Identities over Time historical research on socialism/postsocialism in two locations show how Roma have strat- r u egized around stereotypical labeling embedded in multiple exclusions. Combining political c theory with fine-grained ethnographic fieldwork, Dunajeva takes us inside school classrooms, t i playgrounds and lunchrooms, and into NGOs and community life, while always honestly re- n “Bad Gypsies” and “Good Roma” in Russia and Hungary g flecting on her own positionality. This book should be required reading for all students and I scholars of Eastern Europe.” d Jekatyerina Dunajeva e Carol Silverman, Professor of Anthropology and Folklore, University of Oregon n t i “An important contribution to the study of politics and the lived experience of identity on the t i e margins. Dunajeva weaves together impressive historical and empirical research of Romani s communities in Hungary and Russia to teach us about nationhood, state power, and the ne- o gotiation of belonging. This is a must-read book for students, policy-makers, and activists in- v e terested in how identities are shaped and sharpened in schools and why patterns of Roma mar- r ginalization persist.” T i Karrie J. Koesel, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Notre Dame m e “ Jekatyerina Dunajeva’s very important book provides an excellent and unique historical anal- ysis of ethnic stereotypes developed and mobilized through formal and informal education- J e al institutions. While educational oppression of theRoma population has received consider- k able attention, few studies provide a rich historical background and tackle the way education a t shapes and distorts identities. Dunajeva’s research fills this gap by exposing the role of educa- y tion in the creation of the ‘other’. A great contribution to the field that still shies away from e r combining historical analysis with contemporary narrative and inductive methodology.” i n Joanna Kostka, Lecturer in Social Work, Lancaster University a D u n About the Author a j Jekatyerina Dunajeva is Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, Pázmány e v Péter Catholic University in Budapest, Hungary. a ISBN 978-963-386-415-9 90000 > CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY PRESS BUDAPEST – VIENNA – NEW YORK Sales and information: [email protected] Website: http://www.ceupress.com Constructing Identities over Time Critical Constructing ROMANI Identities over Time Studies “Bad Gypsies” and “Good Roma” in Russia and Hungary Jekatyerina Dunajeva Book Series Series Editors Angéla Kóczé Central European University Márton Rövid Central European University Editorial Board Colin Clark University of the West of Scotland Margareta Matache Harvard University Jan Selling Södertörn University Annabel Tremlett University of Portsmouth This book series aims to bring together emerging new interdisciplinary scholar- ship by Romani and non-Romani criti- cal scholars within and outside of Romani Studies. The series galvanizes cross-dia- logues between various regions, disci- plines, ideas, approaches, and methodol- ogies to expand the spatial-temporal and conceptual realm of critical Romani Stud- ies. The book series critically examines the intersectional racialization of Roma as well as different forms of deep-rooted pat- terns of structural racial/classed/gendered exclusions, oppressions, and inequalities. Constructing Identities over Time “Bad Gypsies” and “Good Roma” in Russia and Hungary Jekatyerina Dunajeva Central European University Press Budapest–Vienna–New York © 2021 Jekatyerina Dunajeva Published in 2021 by Central European University Press Nádor utca 9, H-1051 Budapest, Hungary Tel: +36-1-327-3138 or 327-3000 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ceupress.com Cover and book design by Sebastian Stachowski Cover illustration by Dorina Major An electronic version of this book is freely available thanks to the libraries supporting CEU Press’s Opening the Future initiative. More information and links to the Open Access version can be found at ceup.openingthefuture.net. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. isbn 978-963-386-415-9 (hardback) isbn 978-963-386-416-6 (ebook) issn 2786-2925 A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. For Verny and Sasha Contents List of Tables ix Acknowledgments xi Part I Introduction Chapter 1 Author’s Purpose 3 Personal Note 3 Roma and Romani Studies 8 Notes on Methodology 11 Structure and Subject of the Book 15 Chapter 2 Theories and Concepts—State, Nation, and Identity 21 Homogenization Efforts During State and Nation Building 21 Managing the Population and Classifying Identities 26 Comparative and Historical Study: Roma in Hungary and Russia throughout Time 30 Part II Bad Gypsies and Good Roma in Historical Perspective Chapter 3 Early Nation and State Building in Empires 37 Early State and Nation Building: Control over the “Other” 37 Enduring “Backwardness” 51 Chapter 4 The End of Empires 55 The End of Empires: World War One and the 1917 Revolution 56 Soviet Nativization Policies in the 1920s and ’30s 60 Hungary After the Treaty of Trianon 73 A Note on the Holocaust 80 Chapter 5 State Socialism (1945–1989) 83 Assimilationist Campaigns 84 Political Education in State-Socialist Schools 92 Categorization of Roma: Legacies of Socialist Identity Politics and Critical Voices 96 Part III Contemporary Identity Formation Chapter 6 Fieldwork 103 Fieldwork and Positionality 103 Ethnography: Ethics, Reflexivity, and Positionality 107 Chapter 7 “Bad Gypsies”—Negotiation of Identities in Primary Schools 113 Neo-Modern State Building: National Revival and Patriotic Youth 114 Bad Gypsies in Segregated Schools 119 Disciplining Bad Gypsies in Classrooms 130 Reproducing and Contesting Stereotypes 138 Chapter 8 Making Good Roma from Bad Gypsies 145 Contemporary Antigypsyism 146 Pro-Roma Civil Society’s Roots, Goals, and Projects 149 Negotiation of Identity and Non-state Actors 152 Chapter 9 Negotiating Identity 163 Identity Struggles 164 Identity and Belonging 169 Kinship and Community 175 Part IV Concluding Remarks Chapter 10 Summary and Best Practices 187 Best Practices 189 References 197 Index 217 List of Tables Table 1 Phases of State Building 23 Table 2 Subgroups and Number of Roma in Russia and Hungary 31 Table 3 Actors in Russia and Hungary in Comparison 33 Table 4 What Does it Mean to be “Gypsy”? 167 ix