Marginalised Histories
Persecution and Discrimination of Roma and Sinti
Discover case studies and biographies of Roma and Sinti which reveal their discrimination and persecution in the pre-World War II Europe.
‘Marginalised Histories’ is an online tool which aims to introduce Roma and Sinti history into the learning practice of teachers and educators. On the interactive map you will find five countries. By clicking on one of territories, you will read case studies of discrimination and persecution of Roma and Sinti before the Second World War. Additionally you will find information on circumstances of Roma and Sinti genocide during the the Second World War in each of the countries. This map has been designed to be used with students aged 15 years old and over.
In the ‘Activities for students’ section you will find several proposals on how to use this ‘Marginalised Histories’ map with your students. They contain ideas such as writing journal relating to a historical figure simulating the International Court of Human Rights or sending a letter to the past.
Click below to see the map:
About the authors:
Helena Link graduated with a MA in Interdisciplinary Poland-Studies at the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena with a focus on Slavistics and Polish literature. She studied her BA in International Cultural and Business studies at the University of Passau. Helena has worked as a tutor focusing on Polish history and the Holocaust and has experiences in organizing intercultural projects and seminars for German-Polish youth and international groups.
Tamás Hajnáczky, PhD, is a senior research fellow at the Archiepiscopal College of Veszprém and Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary. With degrees and diplomas in history, sociology, romology, ethnic and minority policy and equal opportunity and minority protection administration. In 2016 he won the Gypsy Lore Society’s young scholar’s prize. In 2024 he won the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) VEAB Scholar of the Year Award. He participated in the Roma Interbellum − Roma Civic Emancipation Between the Two World Wars project. He is the author of several scholarly articles.
Petre Matei is a senior researcher at the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania. He received his PhD in history from the University of Bucharest with a thesis on the history of the Roma in Romania. He has received several fellowships, including a DAAD and a Tziporah Wiesel Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and, most recently, at the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies. He published The Roma movement in Romania in the interwar press: 1933-1941.
Sunčica Drempetić (b. 1984) has graduated in archaeology and English language and literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. She has authored or co-authored several exhibitions and exhibition catalogs, namely “Anamnesis – Medical History in the Ancient World”, “Laval Nugent – Warrior and Art Collector”, “Rromengo drom – A Thousand Years of the Roma Migrations”, and „In Memoriam… Remembrances of Roma and non-Roma. She is currently working as a curator at the Roma Memorial Center Uštica near Jasenovac and secretary of the Croatian Museum Association.
Robert Korenić (b. 1987) has graduated in history at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science in Zagreb, majoring in Modern and Contemporary History, in 2019. He became a curator in 2022 after finishing his internship at the Staro Selo (Old Village) Kumrovec Museum. He was employed by the Croatian Romani Union „KALI SARA“, the leading Roma non-governmental organization in Croatia as the curator of the Roma Memorial Center Uštica near Jasenovac. He worked at several exhibitions and participated in a number of international projects. He organized annual commemorations for Roma victims in World War Two, including International Roma Genocide Remembrance Day – Samudaripen, and the scientific forum „Suffering of Roma in the Independent State of Croatia“.
Roksana Mroczek since 2016 is actively involved in solving specific problems related to social life, such as the problem of poverty or social exclusion. Lecturer and trainer of knowledge in the field of national and ethnic minorities, in particular history, Roma culture, intercultural communication, counteracting discrimination, self-advocacy and others. Educator, author of articles and publications on the Roma community collaborates with many non-governmental institutions working for human rights.