Zone of Invisibility: Engendered Transnational Romani Participation and Representation in the Time of Stringent Reforms and Austerity Measure

The aim of my paper is to explain and analyze through empirical material that how manifestations of gender, ethnicity and class changed in contemporary Romani women’s life by the impact of economic crisis. To narrow my study, I will focused on transnational Romani women’s political activism and social struggle, 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.

 Being an activist scholar 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”. By so doing, I also interrogate the present political and economic context that how it shapes the participation and representation of Romani women.

 Minority women participation and representation 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 zone of invisibility in social science.