On November 4, 2025, the CEU Romani Studies Program hosted a powerful roundtable titled “From Microaggressions to Marginalization: Mental Health and the Psychological Impacts of Racism on Roma” The event took place at the Vienna Campus of CEU and was moderated by Professor Angela Kóczé, Chair of the Romani Studies Program.
The seminar featured three distinguished discussants: Professor Anna Kende (Eötvös Loránd University); Monika Mihaličková, PhD candidate (Masaryk University); Rufat Demirov, PhD candidate in International Relations (Central European University)
Together, they explored the emotional, psychological, and social toll of racism on Roma communities across Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on how everyday experiences of misrecognition, marginalization, and discrimination shape identity, belonging, and mental health.
Professor Anna Kende opened the seminar with insights from her cross-national quantitative research on misrecognition—a subtle yet deeply damaging form of prejudice that denies Roma individuals the autonomy to define themselves. She outlined four dimensions of misrecognition: (1) Totalizing misrecognition – expecting individuals to represent their entire ethnic group; (2) Categorical exclusion – exemplified by questions like “Where are you really from?”; (3) Imposed identity – when stereotypes dictate perception; (4) Ignoring needs – overlooking cultural or religious differences.
Her findings from Hungary, Romania, and Serbia revealed that misrecognition strengthens Roma identity while weakening national identification, posing a barrier to dual identity. In Romania, highly educated Roma participants maintained strong national and ethnic identities, which Kende interpreted as a form of self-assertion: “You cannot take my Romanian identity from me.” Kende also shared data from Hungary’s Solidarity Index, showing that while many Hungarians express moral responsibility toward marginalized groups, national identity fragility and hierarchical conservatism often hinder genuine solidarity with Roma.
Monika Mihaličková followed with a qualitative study based on focus groups in the Czech Republic. Her research documented over 100 forms of microaggressions, ranging from surveillance in shops to exclusion from public spaces. Participants described chronic fear, hypervigilance, and distrust in institutions, especially the police. Some recounted life-threatening encounters with neo-Nazi violence and intergenerational trauma, where parents passed on protective behaviors rooted in their own childhood fears.
Despite these challenges, Mihaličková highlighted resilience strategies such as activism, education, and community support. One participant noted: “Education is empowerment—it helps us name what is happening and defend our dignity.”
Rufat Demirov offered a compelling commentary, urging the speakers to delve deeper into intersectionality—how overlapping identities like gender, sexuality, and class intensify the Roma experience of racism. Kende responded that misrecognition itself is inherently intersectional, while Mihaličková emphasized the transformative role of Romani women in turning inherited fear into activism and care.
The seminar concluded with a shared call for culturally sensitive mental health services, inclusive education, and research methodologies that center Roma lived experience. As the speakers affirmed, the journey from marginalization to justice begins with the recognition of identity.
You can watch the recording of the roundtable discussion at this link.
Article drafted by Robin Balog, Roma Graduate Preparatory Program participant