Az emlékezet és a felejtés helyei: roma örökség Magyarországon
Sites of Memory and Oblivion: Romany Heritage in Hungary

Summary/Abstract: What does Romany heritage mean in Hungary today? Can the “minority heritage” definitions and theories prevalent in international (especially English-language) scholarship be used for the preservation of Hungarian Romany culture, and for practices of its institutionalization? Where is the cultural heritage of the largest minority in Hungary kept, and what are the sites whose nonexistence (they either never existed or ceased to exist) and marginalization serve forgetting rather than memory. The study seeks answers to these questions through a summary of the general state and perception of European Romany culture, followed by an overview charting the possibilities of preserving and managing the Hungarian Romany heritage. After the description of European Romany museums, the study presents the long-standing trials and tribulations of the Hungarian Romany museum, as well as case studies of two smaller-scale Romany heritage collections, which can be best described as “participatory heritage,” created and managed by the active participation of local communities.

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