Romani Queer Art: A Deconstruction and Decolonization of Representations of the Queer Romani “Other” in Contemporary Public Discourses.

In this presentation I intend to shortly present my Ph.D. project provisionally titled: “Romani Queer Art: A Deconstruction and Decolonization of Representations of the Queer Romani “Other” in Contemporary Public Discourses.” The project is a love child that came out of decades of fighting racism and homophobia. As an academic and activist of Romani heritage, I have experienced unimaginable violence that I decided to transform into a narrative of resistance, survival, and work towards what queer theorist Joshua Letson calls “more life”. In this talk, I aim to not only address ways of deconstructing racist and Orientalizing discourses imposed on Romani communities in general and queer communities specifically, but also to map contemporary cultural trends and practices of Romani queer artists that directly challenge these notions. Central questions will be: What happens when Roma Queers have an opportunity to live and not only survive? Equally important is the question what are the contributions of Romani queer and feminist art that is still largely invisibilized, 50 years after the first World Romani Congress in 1971?