CEU eTD Collection (2012); Kocze, Angela: Gender, Ethnicity and Class: Romani Women's Political Activism and Social Struggles

CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
Author Kocze, Angela
Title Gender, Ethnicity and Class: Romani Women's Political Activism and Social Struggles
Summary The academic literature on Roma/Gypsies pays only limited attention to Romani women’s political activism and social struggle. The concept of gender is treated as an isolated category rather than as a social factor which intersects with other categories of identity for purposes of understanding and combating inequality.
The aim of this dissertation has been to explain and analyze through empirical material the manifestations of gender, ethnicity and class in contemporary Romani women’s life. To narrow my study, I have focused on transnational and local (particularly Hungarian) Romani women’s political activism and social status, from the structural through the discursive and biographical level. I aimed to go beyond the superficial representation of women’s activism, by describing the complicated relationship and intercations among donors, NGOs, other Roma and non-Roma activists, and also within their groups.
With the above outlined concerns in my mind, I have undertaken an empirical research project at the transnational level (mapping the various Roma networks and international resource centers) and at the local level (Szikszó, Hungary). As part of my research, I closely observed “women’s issues” at the transnational and the local level, as well as discourses and activities through which they promote “Romani women’s rights” and “human rights and democracy” under the banner of “empowering Romani women”.
This area is under-researched and lacks theoretical conceptualization. The approach I have opted to take bridges empirical and theoretical gaps in the study of sociology and anthropology, particularly in respect of the representation of Roma in academic texts as well as aiming to raise the profile of the research field by diminishing their marginalized position within social sciences.
Supervisor Bodar Judit, Kalb Don
Department Sociology PhD
Full texthttps://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/sphkoc01.pdf

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