Romani Writing: Literacy, Literature and Identity Politics

ISBN-13: 9780415805902 / Angielski / Twarda / 2013 / 254 str.

Paola Toninato

Opis

Paola Toninato challenges common and popular depictions of Roma (commonly refered to as gypsy) literacy by examining Roma literacy rates and their understanding of literacy and its implications, including the use of writing for a range of different purposes.

The Roma (commonly known as 'Gypsies') have largely been depicted in writings and in popular culture as an illiterate group. However, as Paola Toninato demonstrates, the Roma have a deep understanding of literacy and its implications, and use writing for a range of different purposes. While some Romani writers adopt an 'oral' use of the written medium, which is instrumental in opposing and 'deconstructing' anti-Gypsy stereotypes, other Romani authors use writing for purposes of identity-building. Writing is perceived by Romani activists and intellectuals as a key factor in establishing a shared identity and introducing a common language that transcends linguistic and geographical boundaries between different Romani groups. As Toninato makes clear, Romani authors, acting in-between different cultures and communication systems, regard writing as an act of 'cultural mediation' through which they are able to 're-write' and 'negotiate' their identity while retaining their ethnic specificity. Indeed, Toninato concludes by emphasizing how Romani authors have started to create self-images in which the Roma are no longer portrayed as 'objects', but become 'subjects' of written representation.

Spis treści

Introduction  Part 1. Romani Literacies  1. Writing and the Gypsies  2. Educating the Gypsies  3. Education and Literacy Acquisition from a Romani Perspective  Part 2. The Rise of Romani Literature  4. The Rise of Romani Writing: An Overview  5. Roma Writing Themselves  6. Theorising Romani Literature: Literary Categories and Textual Strategies  Part 3. The Politics of Romani Writing  7. The Political Use of Romani Writing and the Rise of an International Romani Intelligentsia  8. The Mediating Role of Romani Literacy

O autorze

Paola Toninato is a Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, UK. Her publications include The Creolization Reader, co-edited with Robin Cohen, and Differences on Stage, co-edited with Alessandra De Martino and Paolo Puppa.