WHEN UNIVERSITY GOES INTO THE CITY. RESEARCH ON THE NEEDS OF THE ROMANI LIVING IN WROCŁAW
DOI: 10.23951/2312-7899-2020-3-87-98
In 2018, the House of Peace Foundation, commissioned by the Municipality of Wrocław, invited employees of the University of Wrocław, PhD students, experts, specialists in the field of cultural and sociological studies of the city, education, and cultural animation to carry out research on cultural and educational needs of the Romani people who had been living in Wrocław since the 1990s. The Romani (also known as the Roma) are economic migrants who do not know Polish and usually have no literacy skills. Moreover, they often show no understanding of the rules that govern modern capitalist society. In Romania and other European countries, policy towards the Romani minority encountered various problems. Resettlements combined with attempts to transform traditional culture neutralize the role of language or impose lifestyle changes on the Romani did not bring the expected results. Paradoxically, actions aimed at increasing the productivity of the Roma and engaging them in the development of the country or community resulted in the intensification of such negative phenomena as social marginalization, unemployment, and poverty. The research was triggered by the liquidation of the Romani encampment in Wrocław. Soon the case became political. The decision was justified on the grounds that the city needed to protect its positive image of a modern metropolis which offers no room for “wild” encampments and spatial conflicts among neighbors. At the same time, we need to remember that the city creates opportunities for establishing a dialogue that does not have to necessarily refer to the common good of the residents. It also leaves room for forming an opposition against national, ethnic, racial, or religious concepts. The city may thus be perceived as a laboratory and school of democracy. Currently, the Romani of Wrocław live in a dozen locations throughout the city and are treated as individual families. Such a situation means a significant change in the structure, hierarchy, and social awareness of the community. The article is focused on the research conducted by the university representatives. One of the researchers’ tasks in the project was to create recommendations regarding social policy, social work, cultural animation, and education in the area of identity and integration of the Romanian Roma community in Wrocław. This means that the researchers commissioned by the Municipality of Wrocław were expected to propose solutions that could be implemented to improve the situation of the Romani community.
Keywords: Romani, Roma, city, education, ethnic minority, emancipation, democracy
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Issue: 3, 2020
Series of issue: Issue 3
Rubric: ARTICLES
Pages: 87 — 98
Downloads: 529