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Famous Yaron Matras Quotes

“But on one occasion he was lost for words. 'If it's all as bad as you describe,' asked an inconspicuous young man at the end of one of the lectures, 'then why did you choose to become a Gypsy?' His image of Gypsies had marked them as a mere lifestyle, a fashion, a brand.”

Culture Education Racism Social Justice Gypsy Cultural Appropriation Stereotyping Romani Romani Gypsies

Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

“So entrenched is our fictional image of Gypsies that we often brush aside real-world experiences as a mirage when they contradict the picture that we have absorbed and internalized.”

Culture Racism Gypsy Roma Arts And Humanities Stereotyping Romani Romani Gypsies

Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

“I believe that it is not beneficial either to idealize Romani culture or treat it as exotic. Romani culture is not simply Indian or Asian, though some aspects of it clearly reflect its historical origins in India, language being one of the most obvious. Nor is it inherently a culture of poverty or a culture of resistance or defiance against mainstream norms.”

Culture India Immigration Asia Multiculturalism Gypsy Migration Roma Romani Romani Gypsy

Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

“But I do hold the view that we need to rethink and revise our picture of the Romani people and to move away from the literary images and brands, and on to understanding the real everyday lives and aspirations of a real people.”

Racism Stereotypes Gypsy Roma Stereotyping Gypsies Romani Romani Gypsies

Author:Yaron Matras

“I recall my Romani friend who drives from village to village to offer his services to potential clients and who claims, when asked about his origin, to be Irish or Italian. 'I make a living by denying who I am,' he says.”

Racism Passing Gypsy Roma Romani Romani Gypsy

Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

“Claims for compensation for physical damage through sterilization and for psychological damage through incarceration were not recognized for this reason. Claims for lost possessions were rejected on the basis of a wholesale prejudice that Gypsies did not own possessions. Claims for compensation for lost income on the basis of a reduction of earning capacity (as a result of physical and psychological damage and years lost due to imprisonment) were rejected on the grounds that Gypsies were unlikely to have sought employment even under more favourable circumstances. Like the German Jews, the Roms had been stripped of their citizenship rights by the Nazi regime's racist legislation.”

Holocaust Wwii Gypsy Roma Romani Romani Gypsies

Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

“Romani slaves were in demand because of their skilled crafts and their importance to the economic market. With the growing dependency of landowners, monasteries and the Crown on Romani slaves, the Romanian term Tigan came to be used synonymously with 'slave' and it still has a derogatory connotation in the Romanian language today.”

History Slavery Gypsy Slaves Romania European History Romani Romani Gypsies Romani Gypsy

Author:Yaron Matras

“On the rare occasions when Romani Gypsies meet south Asians from India or Pakistan, they are astonished to discover that they can understand many of the words these people use in their language, such as Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. There is thus a connection with eastern Europe - Romania and Hungary - but also with far-away India.”

History India Gypsy Migration Diaspora Languages And Culture Romani Romani Gypsies Diaspora Quotes Diaspora Minority

Author:Yaron Matras

“What do women who live in houses, wear traditional long skirts, speak Romani to their family members and are offended when somebody calls them 'Gypsies' have in common with women who live in caravans, wear shorts, use only the occasional Romani word and refer to themselves as 'Gypsies?' What does a Romani coppersmith in Bulgaria share with a Romani used-car dealer in Los Angeles? How can a Spanish musician of Gitano background feel represented by a Hungarian Romani member of the European Parliament?”

Citizenship Nationality Gypsy Cultural Differences Romani Romani Gypsies

Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies