The Romani Archives and Documentation Center: A Migratory Archive?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29098/crs.v3i2.81

Keywords:

Ian Hancock, History, Literature, Migratory archives, National archives

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to outline the history of the Romani Archives and Documentation Center (RADOC), its origin, mission, function, and what sets it apart from other archives in the world. Ian Hancock, emeritus professor at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and author of The Pariah Syndrome (1987) and We Are the Romani People (2002), initiated the collection and was responsible for its organization and preservation for the
last 50 years. Due to Hancock’s recent retirement, RADOC will soon move from Texas to Turkey. It seems appropriate to reflect on this unique collection through Rodrigo Lazo’s concept of the migratory archive. RADOC differs from hegemonic national archives because it represents a heterogeneous group of people
dispersed throughout the world who speak different languages. Romani history has been largely written by outsiders, but the experience of Roma has also been recorded through other means, including literature and music. Regardless of the format, RADOC is committed to preserving the diversity of Romani voices. It is crucial that new generations of Romani and nonRomani scholars fight for the conservation of this archive and the
preservation of Romani history.

Author Biography

  • Mariana Sabino Salazar, PhD candidate and Instructor of Record at the University of Texas at Austin

    Mariana Sabino Salazar is a PhD candidate in Iberian and Latin American Literatures and Cultures. Her dissertation is about the perpetuation of the Iberian “Gypsy” femme fatale literary archetype in Brazilian and Mexican cinema between 1950 and 1980. Her research interests include counter-archives, subaltern history, stereotypes and prejudice, and gender and nationalism. She volunteered at the Romani Archives and Documentation Center from 2013 to 2019 and has published two book chapters related to Romani history in Latin America.

Downloads

Published

06/24/2021

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2020): Exploring Romani Literature from Theory to Practice

Section

Book reviews

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. 

How to Cite

The Romani Archives and Documentation Center: A Migratory Archive? (2021). Critical Romani Studies, 3(2), 104-111. https://doi.org/10.29098/crs.v3i2.81