The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is releasing the masterclass Antigypsyism in Germany: Historical Continuities, Civil Rights Movement, Scholarship, and Artistic Resistance, with Silas Kropf produced in the framework of the project Reclaiming Our Past, Rebuilding Our Future: New Approaches to Fighting Antigypsyism (JEKHIPE). This masterclass builds on his professional and academic expertise and is informed by the findings of Maria Bogdan’s fellowship paper Antigypsyism in Germany: Historical Continuities, Civil Rights Movement, Scholarship, and Artistic Resistance, developed for the JEKHIPE project.
This masterclass explores antigypsyism as a persistent and multifaceted form of racism, tracing its roots from the early marginalization of Sinti and Roma to the Nazi genocide, which drew on long-standing practices of exclusion and racialization. It also examines the postwar experiences of survivors, who continued to face discrimination and denial of recognition, and highlights the emergence of a civil rights movement led by figures such as Vinzenz, Oskar, and Romani Rose, whose activism was crucial in securing the official recognition of the genocide in 1982.
Bringing the discussion into the present, the masterclass presents antigypsyism as a structural issue that persists across media, digital spaces, and institutions such as education, housing, and policing. It also foregrounds Roma artistic practices—memoir, music, theater, and memorial art—as powerful forms of cultural memory and resistance. By connecting history, activism, scholarship, and art, this masterclass offers a deeper understanding of both the enduring nature of antigypsyism and the ongoing efforts to challenge it.
About the authors
Maria Bogdan is a media and cultural theorist with a background in social sciences. Her research explores media representation, racism, cultural memory, and cultural trauma, with a focus on Roma. She earned her Ph.D. in Film, Media, and Culture Theory from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest in 2018. A Fulbright alumna, she has been a Fortunoff Research Fellow at the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies and the first Romani Rose Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Heidelberg University. She is a founding member and managing editor of Critical Romani Studies and has extensive experience as a journalist and film critic.
Silas Kropf is an organisational and social pedagogue and a German Sinto, with many years of experience as a consultant in education and civil society engagement. He has been a member of the Independent Commission on Antigypsyism on behalf of the German Federal Government and is committed to promoting social participation and strengthening democracy. Currently a doctoral researcher at Humboldt University of Berlin, his work focuses on antigypsyism, democracy competence, and intersectionality, alongside his broader engagement in empowerment and civil society initiatives.
Read the Research Paper “Antigypsyism in Germany: Historical Continuities, Civil Rights Movement, Scholarship, and Artistic Resistance” Authored by Maria Bogdan
This masterclass is based on a research study produced by Maria Bogdan,and developed within the JEKHIPE project. Six research fellows from Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Czechia, and Sweden were selected to produce in-depth papers documenting historical and contemporary forms of antigypsyism, Roma civil rights movements, and cultural history in their national contexts.
These papers are designed to generate new historical evidence, enrich academic and policy debate, and inform public-facing outputs. Each study is published in both the national language and English to ensure accessibility at local and European levels. Together, they form the foundation for a series of masterclasses that translate the research into accessible audiovisual formats for wider audiences.
Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them
