Recalling the Roma on Days of Remembrance, 2017: Faith Though the Conflict of Integration
She was misunderstood and used by both sides. She was put on trial. She became excluded from the group. Papusza was her name, and it all started with her wanting to learn how to read and write. Her poetry, exposed to outsiders by a Polish poet, Jorzy Ficowski, risked her identity and acceptance from both her Roma community as well as European society.
(Fonseca 8) After her poems were published in, “Problemy” by Ficowski,Gypsy envoys threatened her for doing the unforgettable‑- collaborating with a gadjo, (an outsider). The Gypsies keep a private profile intentionally and their culture, not being understood by the consensus, if you ask them, is how they like it. But, because Papusza had betrayed the secrets of their culture in the internal context of her poems and songs, she was soon after executed by her own community as a traitor. (Fonseca 8) The story of Papusza told by Isabel Fonseca, in her book, Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey “, is an example of an individual caught in conflict between the European government and the Roma community. The European government wanted a homogeneous society while the Roma resisted not only the idea of conformity for themselves but conformity to any outside governance that required assimilation to itself. The story of Papusza, prompts three primary questions to be raised here. First, does this conflict facilitate a dis-functional co-dependent relationship between The Roma and European society? Second, what is the cause of the Roma’s resistance to integration despite numerous attempts historically and currently by the EU to encourage, force, or manipulate Roma to integrate? And third, can this conflict be dissolved peaceably? The relevance of these questions hinge on bringing clarity to the origin of the Roma’s resistance, in order to open a door for a renewed discourse on the subject. A door that signifies a cue for hope and liberation. A discourse, that may at the least, deconstruct the interworking of the Roma and EU government, conflict. Exploring these questions can also bring insight into whether or not, integration is the key to solving this longstanding conflict, or if in fact, it may be the problem. In addressing these issues, I will look at three key area topics, integration, education, and geo-politics to explore possible outcomes using an over-arching biblical framework. To begin I will start with with integration.
What is integration? Integration in terms of geo-politics, is the process of assmilating a nationality of people with their own unique culture, nationalistic ideology and social and religious practices into into another country of a differing nationality, with their own set of ideology, culture social and religious practice and beliefs. In theory this may seem simple, but in reality this process can be filled with, conflict, misunderstanding, violence and expulsion. Because many Roma have taken a position of resistance, understanding if integration really is the the key to resolving Roma and EU conflict is important. Is the Roma’s resistance causing dis-function, or is it facilliating the beginnings of nationalistic freedom and independence? Could the Roma's resistance be operationally strengthening, rather than dissolving, over time, a co-dependent dis-functional relationship between themselves and the EU? Unfortunately, according to author Isabel Fonseca, the issue of failed integration of Roma people in many countries including the EU has been long standing. Fonseca relays that in the 1940's, post-war Poland Socialists wanted a nationally and ethically homogenous state. (Fonseca 7) During this time, reformers believed that measures taken to achieve homogeneity would improve the difficult lives of the Gypsies and education was the only hope for their emancipation. From this perspective, the reformers held that settlement was the key to facilitate education to the Roma people. (Fonseca 7-8)
If education is the answer to integrating the Roma cultures into the European Union’s cultural, is settlement the best way to facilitate education to the Roma? In a past interview, by Euronews’ Audrey Tilve, Corinne Torrekens, an expert on ethnic minority integration from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, says that France’s Interior Minister recent comments raised a question again as to if the Roma people have the ability and the will to integrate into society and adopt conventional lifestyles and respect the rules. (EURONEWS) This current concern reflects a long history of European Society trying to affect the settlement and integration of Roma people. For example, in 1952, The Great Halt occurred when travel of the Roma was finally stopped; however, this Act, was perceived then and now contemporarily by many to have imposed a new culture of dependency. (Fonseca 7) Around the 1960’s there was an opposite legislative trend in the West, one under this conviction that was enforcing nomadism. (Fonseca 8) In England, however, settlement was the goal everywhere. By 1968, the Caravan Sites Act aimed to settle Gypsies (this Act is acknowledge by many historians now as a form of population control know as designation) in which large areas of the country was declared off limits to the travellers. (Fonseca 8) The issue of integration still propels discourses as well as governmental action that centers on the ideology of homogeneity by means of integration, education and settlement. For example, currently in some parts of the EU social housing is made available to the Roma to provide a permanent (or fixed) place to stay, yet national funding is limited. (EURONEWS) To combat the problem of education in Slovakia and Romania of keeping Roma kids in school, mediators and social workers that provide individual support over long periods of time is the proposed solution to convince Roma families and their kids to stay in school and get plugged into the system. (EURONEWS)
Could education help to change the Roma’s historical negative demographic status so that the Roma and the EU could overcome their difficult past and the integration process could successful? In the past, a popular consensus of the Roma was that the source of livelihood of the Gypsies was preying on the rest of society. (Fonseca 15) Fonseca relays that two common stereotypes of the Roma are labeled with are that they are liars and thieves. Fonseca records one in her book, which says, “Gypsies lie, they lie a lot. People long to tell what they imagine you want to hear. They want to amuse you. They want to amuse themselves. Gypsies are Scapegoats. Gypsies brought the plague”. (Fonseca 15) Another example of the result of a negative stereotype of the Roma began in the 14th century France in which they were blamed by Collin De Plancy for the plague. In consequence, they fled into the forest and remained there 50 years. (Fonseca 271) From these examples, the European government reflects an attitude of ambivalence towards the Gypsies. A picture is painted of the EU’s active coercion of the Roma to conform and reflect their standards of socially accepted practice, while at the same time, their blaming and name calling provoked resistance from the Roma and affected their reactive behavior to run away. From this consensus it appears that the EU fosters dis-respectful opportunities for the Roma to resistance and furthers blame them for their resistance which appears to be producing dis-functional relations. This cycle, appears to be reoccurring, in which this type of “reactive” resistance chosen by the Roma seems to re-produce their dis-functional relations, rather than, freeing them and giving them a respectful independence or inter-relational integration with the EU.
What if the Roma do not want to be integrated? One characteristic of the Roma is that they are travelers. (EURONEWS) In addition, not much can be known about their culture, because they intentionally do not want it to be known. Their story is one of being forced, coerced, or tricked in different ways to integrate, and settle. The Gypsies were the only group apart from the Jews who where slated for extermination and between 1942 and 1944, 36,000 gypsies lost their lives in which punishment or death was inflicted because of their racial difference. (Fonseca 243) a whole 21,000 Gypsies were murdered at Auschwitz alone. (Fonseca 241) Under the name of social deviants, the Roma were included in laws that were designed primarily for the institutionalized handicapped and the Roma were the first victims of mass killing. (Fonseca 255) The Roma were considered “those first judged to lives unworthy of life” along with the chronically ill, the mentally ill, and physically handicapped. (Fonseca 261-262) In 1940 they were ordered to death by gas. One story Fonseca relays, is the time Josef Mengele, a Nazi doctor, took all the children in the camps he was overseeing, who that trusted him as a “doctor, and drove them himself to the death chamber so he could be sure to collect all their body parts to study and analyze. (Fonseca 267) This story of betrayal is so gruesome and morally corrupt, it is just one of the reasons, sources say, caused the difficulty of resolution in the Roma culture. Another problem presented in understanding the Roma’s resistance to integration and assimilation is the issue of their absence in literature of the Holocaust (Fonseca 255) And still another impasse and contributing factor, could be, the concept in Roma culture which outlines that not having a recorded history is a way of life and an act of resistance. For example, among Roma, forgetting does not imply complacency it is rather an act of defiance. (Fonseca 275) This concept is hard to grasp from a Western American perspective. Here, many agree that if you cannot remember, and do not have a record, you are not equipped to present evidence or proof to defend yourself. As an American reader, other doubts about this cultural concept may also cross your mind, such as, How could a cultural identity grow without a recorded history? And, is it possible that the trauma experienced by the Roma during the Holocaust could be reinforcing and perpetuating a co-dependent dis-functional relationship between the Roma and EU society? Although these question at this time may not be able to be empirically answered, what can be understood is that it is most certainly possible for both the EU and Roma people to choose to move forward towards mutual respect and understanding. In 2014, integration of the Roma was still a persistent and pervasive desire in the EU for the Roma. For example, according to reports, the EU supported integration by funding 50 billion Euros for social inclusion projects. (EURONEWS) What is lacking and who is not participating? According Corinne Torrekens’ interview, she says that resources and local authorities are on the front lines but at the national and federal level, support is lacking. (EURONEWS) For example, in Belgium, there is a lack of provision to help the Roma who have decided to “settle”, however, they are living in precarious and unsafe housing without sufficient resources. (EURONEWS)
As issues of education, integration and settlement are employed in discourses and government policy in the historical past and current affairs, there are still a myriad of unanswered questions. Such as, how can the Roma’s cultural identity be preserved during a process of integration? But before such things can be addressed, we must return back to three main questions posed. Is the Roma’s resistance encouraging a dis-functional and co-dependent relations to the EU, what is the cause of the Roma’s resistance to integration; and can this conflict be dissolved? The first of two possible answers to consider is Yes. “Reactive”, rather than, “independent “ resistance can facilitate, rather than, dissolve co-dependent dis-fictional relations. And, second, several seeming causes for the Roma to “reactively” resist integration could be related to their past trauma as a people targeted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. It could also be their lack of recorded historical records that could help them establish a clear stand and direction as a people. And, it could be that the EU’s position of ambivalence towards the Roma people can frustrate rather than help them in their efforts to assist the Roma to integrate. Based on these current insights, will representatives of the EU continue to display ambivalence in their efforts towards integration for the Roma? Such ambivalence risks showing its traces, such as, when Corinne Torrekens emphasized from the comments made by France’s Interior Minister, as to if the Roma had the ability to integrate. By asking if the Roma have the ability, it recalls the historical trauma in which the Nazis’ also questioned the Roma’s ability, and in doing so, deemed them dis-abled, resulting in the Nazis sentencing the Roma as unworthy of life. Discourses like these seem to only confuse rather than help the Roma. Also, will representatives of the EU’s continue in ambivalence by pushing their view on how the Roma should be integrated, while not providing the necessary funding or support needed to implement their cause according to their guidelines? Can the Roma refrain from “reactively” resisting these impossible demands to these measures—and instead, "independently" resist what they cannot change while working on what they can? For now, we can consider from these examples, the potential damage caused by taking a position of ambivalence and also the unsuccessful position of being reactive rather than taking independent responsibility. In theory this may seem too simplistic and inadequate to base a plan of action on. But, in truth, we can know, that if any nation or peoples who have faith and position themselves under God, and believe in His Son, Jesus, He alone promises freedom to all who are caught up in chains of oppression and dis-function. (Bible) (Psalms 33:8, 10-12)
God calls us show love, not ambivalence towards our neighbor, as well, take responsibility for our own actions rather than react to our circumstances. On this, Days of Remembrance, 2017, United States President, Donald J. Trump, in his recent proclamation, asks the American people to honor the Victims of the Holocaust, April 23 through April 30, 2017. (Trump) In Trump’s statement he acknowledges both the European Roma and Jewry as victims to be honored saying,
The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and attempted annihilation of European Jewry by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. By the end of World War II, six million Jews had been brutally slaughtered. The Nazis also targeted other groups for persecution and murder, including Roma (Gypsies), persons with mental and physical disabilities, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah's Witnesses, Slavs and other peoples of Europe, gays, and political opponents. (Trump)
As I write this, and contemplate on these issues, my understanding is that the only hope adequate enough to resolve embedded trauma and issues of conflict on both a personal and national level for any country in the world, is Jesus. He has the only plan of action historically proven to work %100 of the time. Jesus is our hope and only way into God presence and blessing. Only He can fulfill the promise of freedom from death, pain, fear, and oppression and this promise is true for all people and nations that accept and continue in His truth. (Bible) (John 8:51)
Original publication:
February 18, 2014.
Updated on April 25, 2017.
Vanessa M. is one of the founders at
BeLoved Christian Journal and Community, and
contributes weekly articles for our online publication.
Vanessa is also a big supporter for the arts. She is currently
the Media Manager for the news and events organization,
Art Performative, and affiliate art index, Space for Art.
To learn more about Vanessa or to request her services,
email her at vanessajm84@gmail.com
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Works Cited
Bible, The. "Psalms 33:8,10-12." Vers. King James. 2013. Bible Gateway. 25 April 2017 <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+33%3A8-12&version=NKJV>.
EURONEWS. Helping Roma Families to Integrate. 2014 <http://www.euronews.com/2013/10/02/helping-roma-families-to-integrate>.
Fonseca, Isabel. Bury Me Standing The Gypsies and Their Journey. New York: Vintage Books / Random House Inc., 1995.
Trump, Donald J. "DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE OF VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST, 2017." April 2017. Facebook. April 2017 <https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10159027593260725>.