Authors
Kimberly A. Longfellow '16, Gettysburg College
Location
Breidenbaugh 209
Session
German Studies Capstones II
Start Time
4-30-2016 10:30 AM
End Time
4-30-2016 11:45 AM
Supervising Faculty Member
Kerry Wallach
Department
German Studies
Description
The Roma and Sinti represent presence and absence in German culture. Although there has been a population of Roma and Sinti in Germany for centuries, they are often perceived by the German majority population as distinctly "eastern" and, as such, non-German. The perceptions of Roma by the German majority population mimic Orientalist assumptions, where the Roma are romanticized, criminalized, and generally devalued in comparison to Eurocentric narratives. Through an analysis of the Roma presence in German history, literature, and current events, one can see that the experience of the Roma in Germany is largely structured by the perceptions and assumptions of the dominant German population. These perceptions and assumptions shift depending on the needs, goals, and concerns of this dominant group.
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Included in
Cultural History Commons, European History Commons, German Literature Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Regional Sociology Commons
The Roma and Sinti in Germany: Orientalism and Exclusion from German Historical Narratives (Romantisiert, Kriminalisiert, und Abgewertet: Orientalismus und Narrative der Roma und Sinti in Deutschland)
Breidenbaugh 209
The Roma and Sinti represent presence and absence in German culture. Although there has been a population of Roma and Sinti in Germany for centuries, they are often perceived by the German majority population as distinctly "eastern" and, as such, non-German. The perceptions of Roma by the German majority population mimic Orientalist assumptions, where the Roma are romanticized, criminalized, and generally devalued in comparison to Eurocentric narratives. Through an analysis of the Roma presence in German history, literature, and current events, one can see that the experience of the Roma in Germany is largely structured by the perceptions and assumptions of the dominant German population. These perceptions and assumptions shift depending on the needs, goals, and concerns of this dominant group.
Comments
German Studies Senior Capstone