Competing Romani identities
05 September 1999
Dimitrina Petrova
The ERRC is an organisation working on Roma rights. As such, we have tried to stay away from questions of Romani identity, defining our scope in an empirical, non-doctrinal way. We have developed an expertise on the RIGHTS of Roma - their expression in law, their monitoring in the field, their defence in the courts, and their advocacy in a variety of frameworks. But we have not developed an expertise, not even a consistent position, on ROMA: who are they, are they the same people most of the world still recognises as "Gypsies", what is specific about their culture, which groups are comprised in the Romani identity, what are the chief characteristics of this identity? We know from mountains of research material that roma are systematically subjected to abusive and discriminatory treatment. Being a human rights organisation, we need no more to act: we have human rights work to do. Whoever the Roma may be, Roma rights are human rights.
Centring this issue of Roma Rights around a discussion of Romani identities must not be taken as an indication that ERRC has now decided to venture into a new terrain. Rather, we hope to document only the fact that practical human rights work, however professional, cannot isolate itself from the movement it seeks to support, in our case - the movement of the Roma to reaffirm their rights in Europe.
There are three main reasons why this is so. First, ERRC naturally wishes its work to be informed by the priorities, struggles, disappointments and achievements of the Roma movement. This movement discusses rights, but it also vigorously discusses identity.
Second, while we see very little in-fighting and a tendency to strong consensus among Roma over human rights issues, identity issues are increasingly sensitive and controversial. As far as I remember, positions on individual Roma rights issues that ERRC has formulated and/or advocated have been wholeheartedly supported by Roma from most different backgrounds. Thus, for the Roma of Europe, Human Rights seems to be a uniting principle, a universally acknowledged tool for positive change. Contrary to this, in our day-to-day work, we are often confronted by Roma who are not happy about ERRC having chosen to work with certain other Roma, on the vague but bitter grounds that they are not legitimate as Roma. I personally believe that the Roma struggle is often weakened by the abysmal question, "Who is real Rom?". The struggle over identity at this stage does not unite the Roma in Europe. Is Identity then the dividing principle, as opposed to Human Rights? We have no easy answer to this question. However, even if the identity debate plays a divisive role, it seems to constitute a necessary and healthy process of self-awakening of the Roma people. The relevance of Romani identity issues to ERRC work is in any case obvious as long as it impacts, in complex ways, our human rights activities at the everyday level of interaction with Roma.
Third, ethnic and cultural identity itself is arguably a right. Not acknowledging this would lead us to a kind of ethnic essentialism, a claim to monopoly on representation (of Roma to outsider) and power (of some Roma over others). Naturally, the struggle over ethnic and cultural identity is a struggle for power. However, that power should reside with the people in question. People are entitled to affirming and expressing their own ethnic, national, religious, etc. selves. They should be free to do so without suppression and restriction from others. Therefore, ERRC defends the right of Roma to construct their own identities and to resist any outside pressure, manipulation or abuse. In our mandate, this comes close to our stated purpose to fight widespread racial prejudice against Roma.
This issue does not explicitly discuss the link between rights and identities. Indeed, most of our recent work, as reflected also here, is overshadowed by the tragedy of the Roma of Kosovo, and our future issues - as well as our lives - will probably continue to be haunted by Kosovo. But we have at least put on record some of those question marks which our interaction with the Roma movement has placed before us.
