CEU Launches Critical Romani Studies Journal

CEU's Romani Studies Program launched the new journal Critical Romani Studies in May, the university's latest contribution to scholarly work in the field, building on over a decade of preparing Roma students for graduate work, and the 2017 opening of the Romani Studies Program with interdisciplinary courses open to students across the university. The journal is part of CEU's Roma in European Societies Initiative, funded by the VELUX Foundations, the Open Society Foundations' Roma Initiatives Office, and the Roma Education Fund.  

"The core of an intellectual vocation for a university is to be courageous in our self-criticism," said CEU President and Rector Michael Ignatieff at the launch event May 16. "We have a deep engagement and solidarity with those who face persecution every day. Once of the enormous contributions of these programs is that we are a university that never forgets that."  

Editor Maria Bogdan speaks at the CRS launch. L-R Angela Kocze, Maria Bogdan, Michael Ignatieff, Iulius Rostas, Marton Rovid. Photo: CEU/Kepszerkesztoseg Zoltan Adrian.

The journal is open-access: all articles are accessible free of charge. Unpublished papers are solicited via open calls and are presented and discussed at the annual conference organized by the Romani Studies Program.

 It includes an arts and culture section in order to acknowledge and incorporate the importance of Roma arts and culture into scholarship in the field of Romani Studies. In this endeavor, European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture Director Timea Junghaus is on staff as an editor. The cover, artwork entitled "Gypsyland Europe" by Damian Le Bas (2016) recognizes this and the journal plans to have artwork by Roma artists on each cover.  

"This is a collective product," said Angela Kocze, assistant professor in the Romani Studies Program and an editor of the journal. "It is the brainchild of a group of activist-scholars – not just scholars – and we are proud of this identity." 

CEU President and Rector Michael Ignatieff greets Jens-Joergen Pedersen, head of programme at THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS and Open Society Foundations Roma Initiatives Office Director Zeljko Jovanovic at the CRS launch. Photo: CEU/Kepszerkesztoseg Zoltan Adrian

Managing Editor Marton Rovid said the team aims to empower a community with the journal, which he regards as the logical consequence of CEU's experience with the Roma Graduate Preparation Program and the work of many Roma master's and PhD students at CEU.  

The journal launch was followed by a three-day conference, Critical Approaches to Romani Studies, held at CEU May 24-26.  

The journal is available here, as are submission guidelines.