Visibly authentic: images of Romani people from 19th-century culture to the digital age

Abstract

This chapter assesses how heritage can be circulated and discussed through active means, looking at the dangerous and damaging stereotypes of the Romani community in the media and on social media. The politics of these translations reflect discourses of racism, commodification, culture, community, and identity in the 21st century. A common consequence of such a discourse is the relegation of visitors to heritage sites — or, in this case, viewers of popular media — to the status of a ‘passive audience’. The point here is that there are alternative ways of both creating and learning about Romani heritage that do not depend on these centralised, powerful forms of production that are then consumed passively. Digital and other collaborative forums for reclaiming Romani heritage by Romani people not only fill a knowledge gap induced by a wider politics of Romani exclusion, they also enable better heritage practices.