engleski

Case Study: Intangible Heritage of the Roma Ethnic Community in Croatia

The Roma are one of the most recognizable, peculiar and vivid ethnic minorities in the Republic of Croatia. At the same time, they are also the most stigmatized and marginalized Croatian minority, whereas their marginalization is multilayered and complex, affecting their civil, cultural, economic, social and political rights. The Roma have been present on the Croatian territory since the 14th century, but they have never been acknowledged the status of an autochthonous national minority by the Croatian Constitution. The goal of this paper is to provide a review of the most important features of the Romany identity in the Republic of Croatia, as well as to point out at core issues of their poverty, discrimination and problems related to education, employment and housing. A special emphasis is put on the importance of preservation of the Romany traditional intangible heritage and inclusion of the Roma in social and political life of the Croatian society.

Roma ethnic community, Republic of Croatia, ethnic minority, intangible heritage

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