MEMOROBIA
Memorialisation of Romani enslavement in territories of contemporary Romania.
MEMOROBIA is funded by the Research Council of Norway as a Researcher Project for Young Talents. The project will run from December 2021 to June 2025. The project is led by Associate Professor Solvor Mjøberg Lauritzen at MF.
The legacy of slavery and its links with contemporary racism has recently become a topic of great public interest across Western societies. We see monuments and historical memory gain new importance as they become a part of the public debate on structural racism. This project brings attention to a lesser-known history of slavery, namely the 500-year enslavement of Roma in territories of contemporary Romania from the 1300s to the 1850s. The memory of Romani enslavement (Robia) in Romania has long been neglected in public fora, literature, and arts. But the omission of this historical trauma from mainstream historical narratives has recently been challenged by academics, activists, and artists, who have introduced the history of Romani enslavement into the public debate.
By researching the nexus between the present-day situation for Roma and the history of slavery, the MEMOROBIA research project will contribute towards the knowledge necessary for understanding the present-day situation for Roma in Romania. Furthermore, MEMOROBIA will critically analyse the existing processes of historical justice and memorialization initiated by academics, politicians, activists and others. Finally, MEMOROBIA will research how the history of Romani enslavement best can best be integrated in education in Europe.
Participants
Project goals
The MEMOROBIA project will establish empirical and theoretical knowledge of present-day consequences of Robia slavery in contemporary Romania and its memorialisation, including how it could be ethically addressed in education in Europe. This will be done through three main focuses:
First, the project will research the consequences of Romani enslavement in contemporary Romania. Focus will be places on wealth gaps, trauma, and racism – including internalized racism. The project will thus shed light on the relationship between the historical Romani enslavement, on one hand, and present-day antigypsyism, racialised poverty, social exclusion and Roma migrations, on the other.
Second, the project will research memory politics in contemporary Romania. We will unpack the social activism aiming at historical justice through recognition and reparatory justice of the Romani enslavement and its critiques, strengths, risks, and weaknesses. In doing so, our research will expand and adjust already existing theories on memorialization in general, and historical justice and reparations in particular.
Third, the project will research slavery education in a European context. Through engaging in both empirical and theoretical work, the project will develop a theoretical framework that can inform policy makers as well as curricula and textbook authors about how Roma history and the current situation can be addressed and taught in an ethical, respectful and nonharmful way.
Results
Please see our page at Cristin for publications and results:
Public information about the MEMOROBIA project
Here you can finde information about the research project and what participating in the project implies.
Purpose of the project
The MEMOROBIA project is financed by the Research Council of Norway (RCN).
The MEMOROBIA project will establish empirical and theoretical knowledge of present-day consequences of Robia slavery in contemporary Romania and its memorialisation, including how it could be ethically addressed in education in Europe. This will be done through three main focuses:
First, the project will research the consequences of Romani enslavement in contemporary Romania. Focus will be places on wealth gaps, trauma, and racism – including internalized racism. The project will thus shed light on the relationship between the historical Romani enslavement, on one hand, and present-day antigypsyism, racialized poverty and social exclusion, on the other.
Second, the project will research memory politics in contemporary Romania. We will unpack the social activism aiming at historical justice through recognition and reparatory justice of the Romani enslavement and its critiques, strengths, risks, and weaknesses. In doing so, our research will expand and adjust already existing theories on memorialization in general, and historical justice and reparations.
Third, the project will research slavery education in a European context. Through engaging in both empirical and theoretical work, the project will develop a theoretical framework that can inform policy makers as well as curricula and textbook authors about how Roma history and the current situation can be addressed and taught in an ethical, respectful and no harmful way.
The project will produce publications and exhibitions at Amare Rromentza in Romania and The Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority in Norway.
Who is responsible for the research project?
There is a joint processing responsibility between the institutions:
- MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society (Dr. Solvor Mjøberg Lauritzen, and PhD-candidate Maria Dumitru)
- FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University (Dr. Margareta Matache)
- Amare Rromentza, Romania (Dr. Delia Grigore)
- Södertörn University, Sweden (Dr. Jan Selling)
Who is included in the study?
The study collects data from:
- Public figures involved in memorialisation of Romani enslavement
- Teachers in Romania and Norway
- Roma and non-Roma community members of different ages in Romania
- Roma and non-Roma pupils/students (secondary school, high-school and university) in Romania
- People working at historical sites in Romania (e.g. church clergy, bishops, museum staff)
In our interviews it is likely that the interviewees also will discuss the work done by other public figures - e.g. mentioning the names of politicians, artists, church leaders or academics. We will evaluate from case to case whether it is necessary to keep data that directly or indirectly reveals a person’s identity. We will take into consideration both how public people and their opinions are, the potential consequences for the individuals in being identified, and the necessity of revealing the identity for the communication of research results.
Third persons will in some cases receive information about the processing of their data. This will be decided on a case-to-case basis, but will work from the following principle:
- In some cases, it will be very difficult to reach the persons who are named, and individual information about the project will not be given.
- Where people have a high degree of publicity, the third persons will be informed, but not necessarily asked for consent. This is the cases where their public opinion is already widely known.
- For persons with a lower degree of publicity they will both be informed and asked for consent.
The third persons in group 2 and 3 will be offered an opportunity to give their own version of the story if they want to. If a person does not want to have their personal data processed, their information will be removed from the data material. Third persons are unlikely to exceed 10 persons.
What the project implies for third persons:
If you are a third person appearing in our research data, your personal data will be processed in the project. For group 1 and 2 as described above, the project might keep your name in publications and exhibitions alongside your public opinion.
You have the right to protest
You can object to being included in this research project at any time, and you do not have to give a reason. All your personal data will then be deleted. There will be no negative consequences for you if you choose to object.
Your personal privacy – how we will store and use your personal data:
We will only use your personal data for the purpose(s) specified in this information letter. We will process your personal data confidentially and in accordance with data protection legislation (the General Data Protection Regulation and Personal Data Act).
Interviews will be recorded with a voice recorder, and transferred to the researcher’s laptop as soon as possible. When the sound file has been transferred to the computer it will be deleted from the voice recorder. The sound files and transcripts of interviews will be encrypted at rest. When the interviews have been thoroughly de-identified, they will be secured by password in word.
- Box.com is a data processor for the MF
- Södertörn University will store the data on the SUNET Drive
- At Harvard, data will be stored at the Harvard Drive
- At Amare Rromentza, data will be stored locally at the researcher’s computer, and on an external hard drive.
Social media posts will be collected through copy-paste and screen-shots, and be stored encrypted using Cryptomator or similar service.
The scrambling keys will be written by hand in a book, stored separately, and not be accessible online.
Data will only in rare cases be transferred between institutions. When it happens, it will be encrypted.
What will happen to your personal data at the end of the research project?
The project is scheduled to end in June 2025. After the end of the project, the digital recordings and list of names will be deleted. The data stored after the end of the period will be anonymized.
The photographs/ videos made for the exhibitions will be used in the exhibition after the project period is finished.
What gives us the right to process personal data about you?
We process information about you because the research project is considered to be in the public interest, but you have the opportunity to object if you do not wish to be included in the project.
On behalf of MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, SIKT - Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research has assessed that the processing of personal data in this project is in accordance with the privacy regulations.
Your rights
So long as you can be identified in the collected data, you have the right to:
- protest
- access the personal data that is being processed about you
- request that your personal data is deleted
- request that incorrect personal data about you is corrected/rectified
- send a complaint to the Data Protection Officer or SIKT -Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research regarding the processing of your personal data
Where can I find more information?
If you have questions about the project, or want to exercise your rights, contact:
- MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society via Solvor Mjøberg Lauritzen (solvor.m.lauritzen@mf.no).
- Our Data Protection Officer: Berit Widerøe Hillestad (Berit.W.Hillestad@mf.no).
- NSD – The Norwegian Centre for Research Data AS, by email: (personverntjenester@nsd.no) or by telephone: +47 55 58 21 17.
If you have questions about SIKT - the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research’s assessment of the project, you may contact them by email (personverntjenester@sikt.no) or by phone: +47 53 21 15 00.