Race, Justice, Solidarity: A Critical Inquiry into the Pro-Roma Global Civil Society by Márton Rövid

Over the past two decades, in the wake of post-communist transition, the emergence of Romani activism has been an important development accompanying political changes in Central and Eastern Europe. Alongside the emergence of Romani associations, international NGOs have been increasingly involved in the struggle against the discrimination of Roma. A special microcosm has developed within global civil society that is specialized in the so-called ‘Roma issue’, comprising non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations, expert bodies, foundations, activists and politicians.
In the seminar we are going to discuss the emergence of the pro-Roma global civil society, its divisions and controversies.
We are going to analyze options of Roma political participation and representation through country case studies elaborated by the participants. We shall critically reflect upon how ‘Roma inclusion policies’, ‘Roma participation’, and ‘struggling against historical forms of oppression’ relate to each other. We are going to distinguish ethnic and democracy solidarity and discuss the relation between anti-racist and emancipation struggles. We are going to elaborate on the concepts of ‘inclusion without solidarity’ and ‘white privilege’.
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Marton Rovid is a political scientist and policy analyst. In the course of his doctoral studies at CEU, Marton studied the normative relevance of transnational solidarities within the broader debate on the desirability and feasibility of transnational forms of democracy. His research interests include theories of cosmopolitan democracy, global civil society, transnational social movements, politics of race and diversity, the Romani movement.