The Entangled Histories of Romani Imitation, conference, May 27–29,

We are pleased to announce the programme for the conference “Between Cultural Appropriation and Ethnic Shifting: The Entangled Histories of Romani Imitation”, taking place May 27–29, 2026, in Prague at Vila Lanna, the Institute of Czech Literature, and CEFRES. 

This event brings together critical perspectives on Romani identity, authenticity, and the politics of representation. Speakers will explore how identity is performed, concealed, reclaimed, or appropriated, and how these struggles reflect broader dynamics of racialization and power.

📃 The full programme is available for download as a PDF here.

📃 Speaker bios and abstracts are available for download as a PDF here.

The conference is supported by the Czech Academy of Sciences’ Lumina Quaeruntur Fellowship (project Romani Atlantic: Transcontinental Logic of Ethno-Racial Identities, LQ300582201), Strategy AV21 – Identities in the World of Wars and Crises and the ERC project Inclusive History of EastCentral Europe: Mid-19th Century to Present (N.:101199298). It is organized by the Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the Prague Center for Romani Histories at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University and the French Research Center in Humanities and Social Sciences (CEFRES, CNRS-MEAE). 

If you have any questions about the conference, please do not hesitate to contact the conveners, Mariana Sabino Salazar (sabino@eu.cas.cz) or Martin Fotta (fotta@eu.cas.cz). For logistical or practical matters, please contact grants@eu.cas.cz.