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Copyright of OPUS Journal of Society Research is the property of OPUS - International Journal of Society Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In many European countries the Roma are the largest minority group, and research often highlights their heightened exposure to discrimination, harassment, and even abuse during interactions with the state, and the majority group. In contrast, many governments have assistance programs targeted to the Roma in an effort to boost integration. However, there is strikingly little systematic quantitative research on how these experiences are related to the trust that the Roma place in political institutions. This study addresses this gap by using EU-MIDIS II data from 9 European countries to assess the relationship between political trust and the experiences the Roma have with the police and assistance programs. Our analyses show that different experiences relate to trust in institutions differently: interactions with the police, either by being stopped or assaulted are most strongly associated with lower trust in the police but also reduce trust across institutions. In contrast, local governments may have the most to gain from those who report having received assistance based on their minority membership, with other institutions receiving modest trust benefits. Finally, both overall personal experiences of discrimination and the perceived extent of discrimination in their country are associated with low levels of trust in the institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magic and fortune-telling have been standard elements in stereotypes about Europe's Romani minorities since the fifteenth century. These stereotypes produced two mutually contradictory images of the Roma: That they possess real occult powers, and that they are frauds. Both images were perpetuated by nineteenth-century 'gypsylorist' scholarship, which construed 'the gypsies' as Europe's internal Orientals. This article demonstrates that the most influential gypsylorist author on magic, the folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland (1824–1903), sought to harmonize the two images through a new theory of magical efficacy – building on established work in folklore as well as his own life-long engagement with esotericism. Leland's alignment with occultism is a textbook example of the entanglements of esotericism and scholarship in the period. Seeing occultism as a constitutive context for gypsylorist speculation on 'gypsy magic' sheds new light on the history of Romani studies and helps explain the perpetuation of anti-gypsy stereotypes in alternative spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contributions to Contemporary History / Prispevki za Novejšo Zgodovino is the property of Prispevki za Novejso Zgodovino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study examines the provision of school-holiday meals for children and shows how it is embedded in society. Proper nutrition is very important for children's physical and cognitive development. However, international research shows that children's social and cultural background has a significant impact on their nutrition. To reduce these disparities and ensure that all children have a healthy diet, effective government intervention is necessary. In Hungary, school canteens and free meals during school holidays for children in need serve this purpose. The latter service is of great importance for the children of families affected by food poverty. Yet, statistics show that some of these children are unable to use this service. This study examines the period before 2016 and highlights the social embeddedness of the service and its consequences on the provision. Whether child food poverty is perceived as a social issue and a common cause generating community intervention largely depends on the local actor's correct perception of the issue, the local appraisal of need, and the consideration of parents' "deservingness." The study also makes some suggestions about areas where further interventions should focus to improve the nutrition of children affected by food poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examined the effects of family ethnicity on social workers' risk perceptions. • No significant effect of ethnicity was found on the level of risk perceived. • Ethnicity moderated the effects of two case characteristics on risk perception. • We found no significant effect of the family's socioeconomic status on risk perception. Studies have shown that children from some ethnic minority families are disproportionately represented in the child protection system. Ethnic-based treatment is problematic because it challenges whether child protection decision-making is based on the principle of 'the best interests of the child'. Roma children are also overrepresented in the child protection systems of many European countries, but little research has explored why this is so. The present study seeks to address this gap by examining child welfare workers' perceptions of risk at the early stages of child protection decision-making. The main research question is whether they perceive higher levels of risk if the parents are Roma. Method: We use data from a vignette-based survey conducted among child welfare workers (N = 600) in Hungary in 2018. The factors influencing social workers' risk perceptions are analysed using multilevel ordinal logistic regressions. The regression models of risk perception include case variables (harm to child, parents' ethnicity, mother's education, parents' employment, housing conditions, living environment, parental alcoholism, mother's willingness to cooperate), and the individual characteristics of the social worker. Ethnicity is examined individually as well as in interaction with other case characteristics. Results: Findings show that physical harm to the child, parental alcoholism, a messy living environment, and the non-cooperative behaviour of the mother increase the level of risk perceived by child welfare workers. There is no evidence of a statistical association between parental socioeconomic status and the social worker's perception of risk. Family ethnicity also does not have a statistically significant impact on risk perception (main effect). However, some case characteristics affect risk perception differently when the family is of Roma origin (interaction effects). Physical abuse has a strong effect on the social worker's perception of risk, but this effect is more modest when the family is of Roma origin. Likewise, the mother's non-cooperative behaviour is a risk-increasing factor, but this effect disappears for Roma families. Conclusions: Although, no ethnic bias was found in social workers' perception of risk, our findings indicate that the perception of risk for Roma families is less dependent on the circumstances of the case than for majority families. In some cases, this may lead to an unjustified overestimation of risk or, conversely, an underestimation when the family is Roma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Wschodnioznawstwo is the property of Jagiellonian University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Urban Ethnology is the property of Instytut Archeologii i Etnologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Migration & Ethnic Themes: MET / Migracijske i Etničke Teme is the property of Institut za istrazivanje migracija / Institute for Migration Research (IMIN) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Response instructions—inviting participants to respond from a certain perspective—can significantly influence the performance and construct validity of psychological measures. Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and then the BIAS map (“behaviors from intergroup affect and stereotypes”) were originally developed as universal measures of shared cultural stereotypes—participants’ perceptions of what most of the people in a society think about the target group—and their related social-structural antecedents, emotions and behavioral tendencies. Yet a number of studies have adopted a different response instruction focusing on individual stereotypes—what the participants personally think about the target group. So far, there is little evidence to suggest how these two different response instructions (individual vs. shared cultural perspective) might influence the performance of the BIAS map, especially when applied to target groups that elicit different normative and social desirability concerns. To provide novel evidence, we conducted an experiment with a representative sample of ethnic Slovaks (N = 1269). In a 2 × 2 factorial design, we found response instruction (individual vs. shared cultural perspective) and target group [stigmatized ethnic minority (the Roma) vs. non-stigmatized ethnic minority (the Hungarians)] had significant effects on the BIAS map and their interaction had significant effects on the social structure and behavioral tendencies (but not on stereotypes and emotions) scales. Exploratory analysis also points to partial influence on the mediation hypothesis underlying the BIAS map and minor effects on its scale properties. Our evidence suggests that the difference between individual stereotypes and shared cultural stereotypes partially depends on the target group in question and that they should be treated as two potentially separate constructs.

Copyright of Social Work Forum / Fórum Sociální Práce is the property of Charles University Prague, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Public perceptions about the Roma are perpetuated with deeply ingrained prejudices. Crossing sociocultural boundaries, this study sought a firsthand, contextual understanding about the Roma through funds of knowledge framework. Findings illustrated a sense of active agency, as the household members employed resources and opportunities despite the rapid changes and challenges in their surroundings. The analysis sheds light on educational policymaking and initiatives, as well as advancing funds of knowledge framework theorizing and implementing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response instructions—inviting participants to respond from a certain perspective—can significantly influence the performance and construct validity of psychological measures. Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and then the BIAS map ("behaviors from intergroup affect and stereotypes") were originally developed as universal measures of shared cultural stereotypes—participants' perceptions of what most of the people in a society think about the target group—and their related social-structural antecedents, emotions and behavioral tendencies. Yet a number of studies have adopted a different response instruction focusing on individual stereotypes—what the participants personally think about the target group. So far, there is little evidence to suggest how these two different response instructions (individual vs. shared cultural perspective) might influence the performance of the BIAS map, especially when applied to target groups that elicit different normative and social desirability concerns. To provide novel evidence, we conducted an experiment with a representative sample of ethnic Slovaks (N = 1269). In a 2 × 2 factorial design, we found response instruction (individual vs. shared cultural perspective) and target group [stigmatized ethnic minority (the Roma) vs. non-stigmatized ethnic minority (the Hungarians)] had significant effects on the BIAS map and their interaction had significant effects on the social structure and behavioral tendencies (but not on stereotypes and emotions) scales. Exploratory analysis also points to partial influence on the mediation hypothesis underlying the BIAS map and minor effects on its scale properties. Our evidence suggests that the difference between individual stereotypes and shared cultural stereotypes partially depends on the target group in question and that they should be treated as two potentially separate constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural factor has always played an important role in the lives of peoples. The ethnic specificity of life developed over the centuries has been embodied in customs, language, family traditions, consciousness, psychology, and character. Their formation and development have always been accompanied by a significant transformation of stereotypes in the minds of a particular society. Accompanying on the whole path of sociocultural development, ethnic stereotypes are passed from generation to generation, becoming an element of ethnic consciousness in family relationships. Gender stereotypes are closely linked to gender roles. The formation and regulation of state policy on gender equality are carried out in accordance with the international obligations and legislation of each state. The differences in gender roles depend on the degree of masculinity or femininity of a culture. Each ethnic group has its own socio-cultural role adaptation to the family life. Different ethnic cultures have their own stereotypes about the family responsibilities of husband and wife, and marital relationships have national specifics. It is especially true of such a non-territorial nation, which is as widespread around the world as the Roma. The traditionalism and conservatism of their gender stereotypes hinder socialization and self-realization, especially for women who suffer from double discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and gender. Gender inequality and discrimination against Roma women remained an acute problem in various spheres of life and in the family in particular at the beginning of the third millennium. And since the Roma are a fairly closed ethnic group, the shifts in their consciousness of women’s and men’s roles and relationships are changing rather slowly. Consideration and comprehension of the essence of gender roles and stereotypes in relation to Roma woman, on the example of research by Ukrainian scholars, will allow to analyze the causes and consequences of gender issues of Roma, which also exist in other countries, and also, to offer the mechanisms for overcoming the negative phenomena and the ways of forming gender family relations of Roma, which are based on the idea of social equality and justice, stability of Roma woman self-realization, opportunities to live a full life based on their closed environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents wartime memories of the families Krzyżanowski (after the war: Dębicki), Wajs, and Siwiak that were written down by Jerzy Ficowski in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and subsequently reprinted in consecutive versions of his monographs on Polish Romani people (Cyganie polscy. Szkice historyczno-obyczajowe and Cyganie na polskich drogach) and in his memoirs entitled Demony cudzego strachu. Wspominki cygańskie [The Demons of Other People's Fears. The Gypsy Reminiscences]. The discussed narratives relate to experiences from Volhynia of the years 1942-1945. The article's aim is to indicate the type and scope of alternations that Ficowski made while editing the memoirs in consecutive publications. A handwritten copy kept in archive is treated by the author of the article as the base version. The differences between the successive versions were divided into four groups: stylizations, fictionalizations, erasures and additions, ethnographical issues. What results from the conclusions of the presented analysis is the memoirs published by Ficowski no longer enjoying its status as a historical source relating to/pertaining to the wartime events in Volhynia. To the contrary, they are a testimony to the selfcensorship mechanisms implemented by Ficowski, who kept in mind the specificity of majoritydominated society members being the primary readership of his books on the Romani people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Up to the World War II in most European countries there were no violent assimilation attempts like those that had already been in progress in Nazi Germany. With the beginning of World War II and the spreading of Nazi influence on many European countries, either directly because of occupation, or indirectly as ally countries, some parts of Nazi anti-Roma model started to be implemented. The analysis of this paper deals with Central European governments such as Hungarian, Croatian, Czechoslovak and Polish and their attitude to minority Roma population during World War II. A separate part of analysis focuses on the question whether and to which extent Nazi government had an impact on the attitude of the abovementioned governments to the Roma.

Copyright of Etnolog is the property of Slovene Ethnographic Museum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article, the authors illustrate the history of the Roma at the beginning of the 15th century, during their migrations from the Balkan Peninsula to Central and Western Europe. During those migrations, i.e. settlement in the wider European area, the Roma usually presented themselves as pilgrims, converts from Islam or penitents. It was a period of relatively tolerant attitudes of the local population towards the Roma, who, during their journeys, obtained letters of recommendation (safe-conducts), which ensured their free passage through the area under the rule of the ruler who issued the letter. One of the rulers who granted such letters of recommendation to the Roma was Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper the authors give an account of the history of the Roma in the Croatian lands in the Late Medieval Period. The account of the life of the Roma in Dubrovnik and Zagreb is given, as well as the overview of the historical sources that provide information on the life of the Roma in other parts of Croatia. While analyzing the records that provide information on the life of the Roma in the late medieval Zagreb, the authors critically review the historiography on the subject and cast doubt on several ingrained interpretations, thus creating a somewhat more precise overview of the life of the Roma in Zagreb in the 14th and 15th centuries. In Dubrovnik, as well as in Zagreb, the life of the Roma was completely integrated in the life of the city, and it is interesting to note that the available historical sources do not mention the nomadism of the Roma. In the Croatian lands, as well as in the rest of Europe in the aforementioned period, the life of the Roma had not yet been marked by the exclusion and the conflicts with the dominant population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws attention to the role one’s language plays in socialization and explains the misunderstandings and conflicts over integration of the Roma in the Czech Republic. Recognizing the role of home language leads to successful socialization. By not demanding that schools account for home language in the process of teaching, the Roma have implicitly agreed that Czech is the natural way through which children of diverse cultural backgrounds access education and adapt. Children of minorities and namely, the Roma, have been disadvantaged by cultural assumptions enabling teachers, curricula, and textbooks to construct the profile of a Czech student in a way that precludes his or her multicultural origin. To compare, the study provides insight into the conflict between Standard American English and Afro-American English and highlights its factors, legal resolutions, and contemporary situation. The article also reviews research on bilingual classrooms and learning in the United States and suggests that it is relevant to the contentious interrelationship of standard Czech and Romani at schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Roma are a marginal group, insufficiently included in various segments of the social life. The life of the Roma after arriving to Europe was accompanied by various difficulties. Because of physical and cultural differences, the entire nation was subjected to stigmatization and discrimination. The aim of this study was to show health and sanitary habits of the Roma population in the municipality of Knjaževac. Materials and methods: the survey was carried out during March 2016 and it was anonymous. The research was conducted by Dr Dragan Mitrovic and Mrs. Ljubinka Simić (coordinator for the Roma population). The survey, consisting of 11 questions, was created by Dr Dragana Mitrovic, a resident at the Pediatrics. It covered 95 Romas from the Roma settlement in Knjazevac, aging 15-65. Random sampling was used. Results and Discussion: 95 Romas were surveyed, 49 (51.6%) were female and 46 (48.4%) were male. The respondents mostly had primary education, 49 of them (51.6%), followed by the illiterate, 34 (35.8%). 7 respondents (7.4%) had finished secondary school and 4 (4.2%) had finished vocational school, while one respondent finished faculty. 62 of the respondents (65.3%) were cigarette smokers while 70 (73.7%) responded that in their family there was at least one smoker. From bronchitis and/or asthma suffered 39 respondents (41.1%) and/or their family members. 66 respondents (69.5%) had indoor plumbing in their homes. 31 respondents (32.6%) answered that they have a shower once a week and other 31 (32.6%) answered that they have a shower once in two days, 28 of them (29.5%) took a bath every day, and 5 respondents (5.3%) answered that they take a bath 2-3 times per month. 56 (58.9%) of the surveyed Roma wash their hands after using the toilet, while 47 (49.5%) clean their teeth regularly using a toothpaste and a brush twice a day. Bad or extracted teeth had 76 Romas (80%). 53 of them (55.8%) were able to explain the meaning of the term “contraception. A respondent with finished faculty education answered that he bathes every day, washes hands after using the toilet, brushes teeth regulary and has healthy teeth. Of all respondents with vocational education, 5 (71.4%) responded that they bathe every day, wash the hands after using the toilet and 2 of them (28.6%) responded that they bathe once a week. They all wash the teeth regularly, but 4 (57.1%) have bad or extracted teeth. The term “contraception” was known to 5 respondents (71.4%). In population with primary education, 14 (28.6%) responded that they bathe every day, 15 (30.6%) every other day, 17 (34.7%) once a week, and 3 (6.1 %) 2-3 times a month. 27 of them (55.1%) wash hands regularly after using the toilet, 27 (55.1%) regularly and properly clean teeth, and 42 (85.7%) have bad or extracted teeth. The term ,, contraception " properly explained 31 respondent (36.7%) with primary education. 5 of the respondents with no education, illiterates (14.7%), responded that they bathe every day, 14 (41.2%) bathe every other day, 13 (38.2%) bathe once a week, while 2 (5.9%) bathe 2-3 times a month. 21 of them (61.8%) regularly wash hands after using the toilet, 8 respondents (23.5%) brush teeth regularly and properly, 29 (85.3%) have bad and extracted teeth, while 13 (28.2%) were able to explain the term “contraception”.The largest number of respondents had elementary and the smallest number had higher education. From the obtained results we can see that the level of education influences the implementation of health and hygiene habits. With the increase of the levels of education, the frequency of implementation of the hygiene increases as well. Determining the health status of the Roma population, improving the realization of the their health care rights by monitoring the implementation of the health care laws, improving access to health care establishments for the Roma population, improvement of living conditions in Roma communities, involvment of Roma health mediators in health centers, improvement of sanitary and epidemiological conditions in Roma settlements, increasing mandatory immunization coverage, improving reproductive health and preventing chronic non-communicable diseases, as well as the sensitization and training of health workers to work with the Roma population, eradication of illiteracy, education encouragement, training and employment, the inclusion of Roma in all spheres of social life as equal members of communities should be the task of health care providers, educational and social institutions, local governments and state bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper engages with the semantic relationship between security and Roma in the context of Central European liberal democracies. On the basis of comparative analysis of Czech and Slovak strategic documents, it is pointed out that an ambivalent construction of the (in)security of Roma occurs. The Roma are seen both as threatened and threatening. Whether it is done directly or via the production of specific categories such as the "socially inadaptable", this presents a challenge for liberal governance. In conclusion, this illiberal tendency is identified with the phenomenon of "reasonable anti-Gypsyism", and policy suggestions are drawn up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public discourse regarding the Roma has been heated in many western European countries. This study investigates whether feelings of disgust, elicited through negative media portrayals, can lead to more dehumanization and support of deportation toward this minority. While Study 1 ( N = 30) validated a measure of dehumanization in the Norwegian context, Study 2 ( N = 195) experimentally tested whether disgust-eliciting media portrayals would increase dehumanization tendencies on this validated measure and support of deportation toward the Roma. As expected, reading a newspaper article focusing on allegedly low hygienic standards among the Roma increased the feeling of disgust, which, in turn, led to higher degrees of dehumanization and support of deportation. While being the first study experimentally showing that disgust leads to dehumanization of a real societal minority group, the results also have important implications for how media discusses and presents social issues regarding devalued minority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how members of a Romani population in a small Czech town perform individualistic actions that distinguish them from other persons in their families and social circles. After an overview of how these informants achieve cultural compromises in their daily lives that serve to reinforce their agency as mothers in the private sphere, I will present different narrative portions from their life histories that highlight possible examples of individuality - social actions that lead to personal rather than categorical distinctiveness. This paper considers if the experience of individuality is compatible with one's identification as a Rom and what kind of local contextual factors and macro-level discourses inhibit or favor individualistic action and expression. These questions are examined in conjunction with writings and debates that pertain to Czech(oslovak) Romani sociality and culture. This essay also draws on discussions of individuality from the fields of anthropology, sociology, social psychology and the political sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I research famous Serbian music event, the Dragačevo Trumpet Festival, better known as the Guča festival, by analysing on line photographs about the festival. The Dragačevo Trumpet Festival is one of the most famous music festivals in Serbia and one of the most famous brass band festivals in the world. Since 1961, it is annually held in the village of Guča in western Serbia. From 1962, the participants from other parts of Serbia came to Guča, while in 1963 for the first time the Roma players participated. From that time on, Roma remained among the best trumpeters at the competitions. However, during these fifty years, the festival always demonstrated and was conceptualised as the carrier of the Serbian folk tradition and culture. In my research I use visitors’ photographs available on one of the websites dedicated to Guča, www.guca.rs, in order to question how the festival’s photographs visually represent the Serbs. The main goal of the paper is to explain and show how Guča festival found its place in modern Serbia in spite of its rural, folk, barbarian and sometimes nationalist representation.

This paper outlines the beginnings of the Roma research in our country. I focus on the persons who described or promoted the language known as "Czech-Moravian Romani" in the 19th century, both on their methods and motivations. What sources were used by the linguists and philologist to draw the authentic language material and what was the source for translations into Romani. When analysed, their work shows that the bulk of the Romani texts consists of literary works translated into Romani. An interesting tendency can be seen in the motivations of the authors who produced the Romani textbooks, with the original philological-philanthropic interest being gradually replaced by the concern about "Gypsy crime" prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zbornik Odsjeka za Povijesne Znanosti. Zavoda za Povijesne i Društvene Znanosti is the property of Hrvatska Akademija Znanosti i Umjetnosti, Zavod za Povijesne i Drustvene Znanosti and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction. The Roma for strangers are a people of serenity and fun. By the majority of the Polish society they are perceived as people who have lost touch with a broader context of social reality. The aim of the research was to gather material concerning traditional Gypsy fun and games, systematize the knowledge about the physical culture of the Polish Roma and also determine the sense of social actions taken within the scope of games and fun of this ethnic group. Material and methods. The research, belonging to the current of anthropological-ethnological thought, was carried out among the Roma from the eastern part of Poland. The findings were presented as elements of non-material culture and a form of physical activity of this ethnic group. The traditional games and fun of the Polish Roma were presented against the background of general characteristics of the ethnic group and the entire history of the Gypsies presence on Polish soil. Results and conclusions. The research has shown that the physical culture of the Polish Roma, displayed in the form of games and fun, is crucial for strengthening the existing social bonds and shaping new ones. The research has proven that the joint physical culture of the Polish Roma, being an integrating factor, initiates and intensifies social interactions, and is conducive to the development of interpersonal relations. It has been found that there are patterns of physical culture and forms of physical activity of characteristic of the Roma community. The study and the interpretation of the findings, has enabled the authors to systematize the knowledge on the physical culture of the Polish Roma, and also determine the sense of the actions taken by them in this scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By looking at the electoral politics in a small town in Turkey, this article aims to illustrate how the political scene is polarised with counterpoised representations of East and West, alongside Occidentalist aspirations. The division supplies a set of ready-made explanations regarding 'backwardness, poverty and corruption'. However, although different frameworks are employed in line with the political orientations of respective parties, particular political demands and courses of action are systematically dismissed. The poor and the repressed are hardly listened to. Yet worse, they are 'explained' in advance by the antagonistic pair of the East and the West. This article is an ethnographic exploration of how their demands fall in neither side, and how attending them could challenge the existing political realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Methodological Horizons / Metodički Obzori is the property of Juraj Dobrila University of Pula and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

At least since the Middle Ages the people of Europe have shared their space with the nomadic Gypsy people. Its long, often troublesome neighborhood resulted in the formation of two parallel, though different, stereotypical images of the Roma in European culture. In one of them one, they are portrayed negatively, as the personification of all the pejorative and demonic qualities. Two words describing Roma Stereotypes in this language context are as follows: dangerous vagrants, thieves, criminals, living without any moral rules. Under the influence of romantic ideas in European culture a different picture of the Gypsies began to take shape. According to this ideal, they were considered to be free people, living itinerant lives and in harmony with nature, free from hard work, colorful, cheerful, independent and artistic. In this paper we would like to present how the ideas existing in the nineteenth-and twentieth-century culture reflected in the iconography of Roma. On the basis of Polish collections we will show the most important themes and motifs associated with the iconography and mythology of this minority. At the same time, we will try to show to what extent the European images coincided with the real culture and tradition of the Gypsies. In the analysis we will use both engravings, woodcuts, paintings, graphics press and photographs found in public collections in Tarnow, Sejny or Krakow, as well as in various private collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Roma in Poland consist of thirty thousand people and they were granted the ethnic minority status in 2005. Although they have been present in Poland since 15th century, the society still feels rather ambivalent about them. On the one hand they amaze, fascinate and intrigue others with their dissimilarity, on the other hand they scare and repel the non-Roma because of their lifestyle and perception of reality which is contradictory to the commonly respected norms. The stereotypes and myths concerning this community have had a long history and are deeply rooted. That's why a change of the image and the improvement of the difficult social situation of the Roma seems to be a very grueling, hard or even impossible task. Nevertheless, since 2004, when Poland became a member of the European Union, one has been able to use the tools to do so - thanks to the financial resources from EU's budget. The main purpose of my article was to analyze the influence of EU's financial activity till 2010 on the social situation of the Roma people in Poland, particularly in the area of education, labour market, social situation and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to relate social and physical distance and to attempt to answer the question of whether the degree of (non) acceptance of Romani people by the majority population depends on their spatial distance / proximity. The study was conducted in Medjimurje, the region where the Roma are the most highly represented minority group. Research showed that in the areas where the physical distance between the Roma and the majority population is small and inter-ethnic contacts are frequent, proximity to the Roma reduces the level of acceptance of social contacts with them. The study also dealt with the Bayash Roma group's degree of social distance toward certain ethnic groups. The results showed a high level of acceptance of social contacts with the Croats but, at the same time, extremely high social distance was expressed toward all other ethnic groups, including the Lacatare -- members of the other Roma groups. As the study shows, both the majority group respondents and the Roma are more inclined to accept mutual relations of friendship rather than neighbourly relations. This inversion on the Bogardus social distance scale, when spatial public relation (to be a neighbour) is less acceptable than a more intimate and personal relation (to be a friend), certainly strengthens the prospect of the Romas' spatial segregation maintaining its high level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Serbia alarmingly few Roma children go to school, and they perform far worse compared to their non-Roma peers. In this paper, effects of laboratory experiments on acquiring knowledge in Roma children were investigated. Pedagogical experiment with parallel groups was conducted with third-grade elementary Roma and non-Roma students. Both control and experimental groups attended lectures on topics related to environmental protection, and the experimental group also conducted laboratory experiments. After final testing, the experimental subgroup of Roma students exhibited better progress. Results indicate that engaging in students' laboratory experiments is an adequate strategy of teaching Roma school children, and the raised interest in school subjects through practical work is a guarantee of their completing primary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]