The conference "Romani Feminisms: Intersectionality in the Context of Dependencies" brings together six distinguished Romani women feminists from Poland, Spain, Hungary, Romania, and North Macedonia. Co-organized by the Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Experts, the Romnja Feminist Library, and the Bonn Centre for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), this event highlights the crucial yet often underrepresented perspectives of Roma feminists within academia and beyond.
Romani feminisms are not limited by the absence of their own voices but by the pervasive racism, sexism, and classism that persist in academic settings, institutions, and civil society movements. This conference underscores the need to dismantle these barriers and provide spaces for the expertise of Romani feminists along with the experiences of the Roma community, particularly Romani women and girls from an insider perspective. By using the term 'feminisms' in the plural, we acknowledge the various forms and practices through which Romani women advocate for racial justice, gender equality, and anti-discrimination, whilst also contributing to knowledge production.
The concept of 'dependencies' is explored in specific contexts, including the nation-state, the legal nuclear family as defined by the state, ethno(racism), class, and the gendered body. Despite their long-standing work on intersectionality, Romani feminists' contributions remain marginalized due to enduring systemic inequities and institutional biases.
This conference aims to support and elevate the work of Romani women feminists, breaking the barriers that confine Romani feminisms to the periphery of mainstream spaces. The insights and outcomes from the conference will be disseminated by the Romnja Feminist Library, ensuring a broader impact and continued dialogue on these critical issues.