Paper short abstract:

The paper reviews the intersection of Romani Studies and the anthropology of human migration and displacement, and explores how various recent theoretical developments can jointly inform ethnographic inquiries into the transatlantic diasporic journeys of Romani groups.

Paper long abstract:

Historically, mobile lives among Romani peoples have mostly been understood through the lens of the nomadism/sedentarism diad. Since the 1990s, however, a shift has occurred, as concepts like migration, refuge, and diaspora proved useful to understand the East to West migratory movements of Romani groups in Europe. In its first section, the proposed paper looks at three different theoretical perspectives in Romani Studies that have developed since that shift: (i) a migration and refugee studies trend; (ii) a critical geography lens; and (iii) the use of the concepts of diaspora and cosmopolitanism. The text emphasizes recent literature that has operated within the space created by the three theoretical fields, relying on the productive cross-fertilization of their complementary insights.

The paper goes on to elaborate how these trends all added to the analysis of the diasporic connections explored by a multi-sited ethnographic project designed to shed light onto Romani transatlantic mobilities – the author’s doctoral dissertation. These networks and the exchanges among Romani families they beget, in contexts in the Americas such as Toronto and Bogota, speak to recent elaborations that consider diaspora as a condition that is lived and experienced within multiple “transnational realities created by migration” (Hage 2021: 2). A series of ethnographic vignettes are interwoven with the text, providing the necessary context to ground ongoing conversations on the potential of such a conceptual stance, especially for engaging Romani peoples outside of Europe.

Paper short abstract:

We present preliminary results of a pioneering research on the dynamics of mixedness among Roma populations in Spain, which has analyzed the limiting and leading factors for the formation of mixed (inter-ethnic) marriages / families, and the socio-cultural negotiations and transformations involved.

Paper long abstract:

Mixedness (i.e., mixed couples and individuals across ethnocultural boundaries) is a crucial research area in the field of migration and diversity and one of the most important tests for exposing social boundaries and processes of social inclusion and exclusion. Yet, the majority of studies on mixedness—a concept that encompasses and expands on ideas of hybridity, assimilation, and the relationship between majorities and minorities—have focused on migration and ‘race’, while other axes of diversity, such as ethnicity, have been overlooked. This is the case with the Roma people in Spain, the largest ethnic minority in Spain and in Europe, yet completely disregarded in discussions on diversity and social transformation. Besides, Spain is a unique case for this type of study, because of its deeply rooted history of stigmatization and marginalization of its Roma population. This paper will present some preliminary results of a pioneering research project on the dynamics of mixedness among Roma populations in Catalonia, Spain, which has analyzed the limiting factors of—and leading to—the formation of mixed (inter-ethnic) marriages / families, and the processes involved in inter-ethnic mixing: socio-cultural negotiations, acculturation processes, socio-political attitudes and transformations, multi-ethnic identities, racism and discrimination. Our paper provides key information on the heterogeneity and dynamism of the Roma population, which constests monolithic and homogenizing visions of ethno-racial minorities. The final goal is to challenge traditional categories of analysis to better evaluate the impact that mixing and multiethnicity are having on transforming contemporary societies.

Keywords: Roma populations, ethnic minorities, diversity, ethnicity, intermarriage, mixedness, hybridity, discrimination, racism.

Paper short abstract:

In this talk, I will discuss the case of Romani communities, engaged in mobile practices throughout the centuries, in order to illustrate how a language on the move is maintained, lost and, more importantly, changes in different contact settings.

Paper long abstract:

Romani is an Indic language whose speakers migrated from India to the Byzantine Empire, around the 10th century AD. During this period, Romani was influenced by Byzantine Greek and acquired its European typological profile that sets it apart from other Indic languages (Adamou and Matras 2020). At the end of the Byzantine era, several groups fled the wars and migrated toward western and northern Europe. Over the centuries, some Romani varieties ceased to be transmitted to younger generations, while others were maintained. All, however, were shaped by extensive multilingual practices with the various European languages (Matras and Adamou 2020; Adamou, Feltgen, and Padure 2021).

Beyond Europe, Romani is the heritage language of several million people living in the Americas. Romani presence in the Americas is documented as early as the colonial period but arrivals resumed during the 19th century and have been continuous ever since. Roma settled in various countries, where they obtained their official documents, or moved across the continent in search of better working opportunities. In the Latin American context, in particular, we note that multilingual practices with Spanish gave rise to unique changes that spread throughout the continent via traditional, translocal social networks, and mobile professional activities (Adamou 2013; Adamou et al. 2019; Acuña, Adamou, and Sutre, in press).

In sum, the study of Romani shows how complex multilingual practices shape the grammar of a language on the move, constantly adapting to novel linguistic influences.