Gross, P. (2006, December). A Prolegomena to the Study of the Romani Media in Eastern Europe. European Journal of Communication, 21(4), 477-497. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
Romani Media
There are many ethnic media outlets in Eastern Europe. Romani media is the fastest growing despite widespread illiteracy and poverty. The Romani media serves to uphold the identity of the minority population.
During the communist era under the Soviet Union, many struggles to establish separate ethnic identities in Eastern Europe were frozen. The new Identity of the USSR created even more confusion for the many ethnicities in Eastern Europe. The ethnic Identities survived previous generalization under the Austrian, Ottoman, and Prussian empires. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the ethnic Identities held together and began to from separate nation-states. The ethnic media helped to retain the identity during the Soviet rule and also mobilized the people. The Romani were one exception the ethnicities that formed their own governments.
The Romani went to Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. They were commonly known as Gypsies until the late 1980s. From the beginning they were a marginalized group. They have a history of enslavement in Romania and Slovakia lasting until the late 1800s. The Roma were included in the Holocaust. The Gypsies that survived WWII began what became known as the Gypsy Renaissance. This is when the Romani media began to take shape.
Under the Soviet Union the Romani faced housing segregation and confiscation of personal land and personal property. The government attempted to suppress the language. Many Romani were unwillingly sterilized. Every now and then a television program or newspaper article would be dedicated to the Romani in order to create a false sense of inclusion.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, many Romani journalists that were employed by the former government took their skills with them to the Romani ethnic publications. Although the fall of the Soviet Union freed the Romani in many ways, it also created wide spread poverty among the population. To help the situation the Romani have created hundreds of non-governmental organizations.
The Romani continue to struggle with forming a collective identity. There are many differences between Romani who have lived for generations in different countries. The lack of a uniform identity and ethnic solidarity are a couple reasons why the Romani have been unable form their own nation-state. Other problems include the lack of independence experience, as the Romani have never had their own government or autonomy. Lack of financial resources, political power, or an ideological platform are other problems the Romani face.
The European Union has helped the Romani in their struggle against oppression. Eastern European countries intending to join the EU have to adopt human rights ethics that improve the situation for the Romani.
The Romani media serves as a self assertion for the marginalized group that faced centuries of oppression. The ethnic media preserves the Romani culture and language. It also forces the mainstream media to recognize Romani issues and include them in their broadcasts and publications. (Reviewed by Seth Koury)
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