U-cieleśnienia świętości. Uwagi o estetyce ciała w kulturach cygańskich
Em-bodiments of sanctity. Considerations on body aesthetics in Gypsy cultures

Summary/Abstract: Every human being needs senses, located within their bodies, to see their surroundings, themselves and their very bodies. They use body aesthetics to design the image of their bodies and orient their actions around that formula. The article presents the way Roma people/Gypsies perceive their bodies. The author takes the readers to a Transylvanian village called Trabea, inhabited by various Roma/Gypsy groups Tigani (‘Gypsies’), Tigani de matase (‘Silk Gypsies), Corturari (‘Tent Gypsies’) and the converted Pentecostal Gypsies, who use different body aesthetics which also helps them diversify from the Romanian majority. Using the categories called sociologie sacree (an alternative theory of religion which seeks sacrum not in heaven or the Church but in socially-created areas) the author shows how various Roma/Gypsy groups use their bodies to em-body the sacrum, and by doing it, mark their social status, react to discrimination and reflect the inner structure of their group.

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