Petr Nuska: Pariahdom Boundary and Romani Music-Making in Klenovec (Slovakia)
Channel: Petr Nuska
Date: 2022-05-13

Presented at the Gypsy Lore Society Annual Meeting and Conference on Romani Studies, 9th of September 2021

PDF:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360565903_If_you_don't_play_here_you're_not_a_human_-_Pariahdom_Boundary_and_Romani_Music-Making_in_Klenovec_Slovakia

Abstract:
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Roma are well-known in the field of ethnicity studies as a group that even “the most experienced and best-informed academics in the subject are unable to easily define” (Law and Kovats 2018, 39). Their peculiar position in the ethnicity theories was already outlined in Barth’s renowned article on ethnic boundaries. He considered the “gypsies” (sic) as an examplar of so-called pariah groups, which are defined by the active rejection of host societies (Barth 1969, 31). This pointed to the distinctive feature of Romani ethnic identity. Surrounding majorities’ active rejection of Roma was later identified as “a major factor in the preservation of” and even “a necessary condition for the maintenance of Romani ethnic identity” in various settings (Gmelch 1986, 323; Lee 1997, 69). Figurative references to Roma as pariahs can be found abundantly in contemporary literature (e.g. Hancock 1987; Vassilev 2004; Pogány 2012).

This paper contributes to the discussions on Romani ethnicity by presenting an ethnographic case study from Klenovec in Slovakia; explaining distinct features of the local Romani ethnicity performance. As a starting point, it argues that Romani ethnicity is, indeed, significantly formed by the pariahdom boundary – an exclusive demarcation of the non-Roma majority – constituted by specific types of ethnic boundary markers (cf. e.g. Wallman 1978). As a response, the local Roma use diverse strategies to escape from the pariahdom boundary, including various degrees of social integration, acquisition of non-Roma socioeconomic habits, and undercommunicating their ethnic identity. All these strategies predominantly aim to dilute the markers of the pariahdom boundary.

Romani music-making in Klenovec represents a significantly different response to these conditions. Being a Romani musician allows the most convenient socioeconomic adaptation to the environment of the disadvantaged region in question. Moreover, professional Romani musicians from Klenovec have a set of proved strategies for enacting ethnic boundary markers – on the musical stages and beyond them – which in other contexts may be considered troublesome and harmful. Professional musicianship allows for the high level of socioeconomic integration while escaping the pariahdom boundary’s harmful effects. At the same time, it legitimises a proud enactment of Roma-ness. It allows being (and staying) a Rom. Thus, musicianship plays an integral part in the construction of Romani ethnic identity.  As expressed by one musician from Klenovec: “If you don’t play here, you’re not a human.” The paper is based on ethnographic research carried out between 2013–2021.

Keywords: 
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Romani ethnicity, Romani musicianship, Ethnic boundaries, Pariahdom, Boundary markers, Performance of Roma-ness

References
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Barth, Fredrik. 1969. “Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The Social Organization of Culture Difference.” The British Journal of Sociology 21 (2): 231. https://doi.org/10.2307/588416.
Gmelch, Sharon Bohn. 1986. “Groups That Don’t Want In: Gypsies and Other Artisan, Trader, and Entertainer Minorities.” Annual Review of Anthropology 15: 307–30. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2155764.
Hancock, Ian F. 1987. The Pariah Syndrome : An Account of Gypsy Slavery and Persecution. Karoma Publishers.
Law, Ian, and Martin Kovats. 2018. Rethinking Roma : Identities, Politicisation and New Agendas. Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Lee, Ken. 1997. “Australia: Sanctuary or Cemetery for Romanies?” In Romani Culture and Gypsy Identity, edited by T. A. (Thomas Alan) Acton and Gary. Mundy, 203. University of Hertfordshire Press.
Pogány, István. 2012. “Pariah Peoples: Roma and the Multiple Failures of Law in Central and Eastern Europe.” Social & Legal Studies 21 (3): 375–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0964663911429152.
Vassilev, Rossen. 2004. “The Roma of Bulgaria: A Pariah Minority.” The Global Review of Ethnopolitics 3 (2): 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/14718800408405164.
Wallman, Sandra. 1978. “The Boundaries of ‘Race’: Processes of Ethnicity in England.” Man 13 (2): 200. https://doi.org/10.2307/2800245.

Used images (CC licence):
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https://williamhoza.com/text/?t=Ethnic Boundaries
https://freesvg.org/triangle
https://www.maxpixel.net/Woman-Icon-Woman-Icons-Man-Man-Icon-5557318
https://www.maxpixel.net/Comic-Thought-Bubble-Emotion-Blank-Dialog-Think-305053