The Gypsies of Eastern Europe

The essays in this collection detail the fate of gypsies in the countries of Eastern Europe through the socialist era, and pay special attention to the experience of the Nazi holocaust. The volume includes essays on Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Albania, Hungary and Romania. In recent news coverage of the dramatic political events in Eastern Europe, Gypsies have been a favourite sidebar topic. Some of the stories have been truly horrifying, others are written condescendingly and to amuse; but what has become clear is how little we really know about this people. In a concerted effort to uncover the modern history of the Rom in Eastern Europe, the authors examine the Gypsy experience in Albania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia, with special attention to the Nazi Holocaust as well as to the record of the forced settlement and education programmes instituted by communist regimes.