Three Visibly authentic: images of Romani people from 19th-century culture to the digital age
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Jodie Matthews
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.
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.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and table v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Series editors’ foreword x
- Preface xi
- Introduction: heritage as community research 1
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Ways of knowing
- Shaping heritage in the landscape among communities past and present 27
- Co-writing about co-producing musical heritage: what happens when musicians and academics work together? 51
- Visibly authentic: images of Romani people from 19th-century culture to the digital age 65
- Digital building heritage 85
- Legacy and lavender: community heritage and the arts 107
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Heritage as action
- The Caerau and Ely Rediscovering Heritage Project: legacies of co-produced research 129
- Do-it-yourself heritage: heritage as a process (designing for the Stoke ‘Ping’) 149
- From researching heritage to action heritage 171
- Co-productive research in a primary school environment: unearthing the past of Keig 187
- Conclusion: Co-producing futures – directions for community heritage as research 209
- Index 215
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and table v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Series editors’ foreword x
- Preface xi
- Introduction: heritage as community research 1
-
Ways of knowing
- Shaping heritage in the landscape among communities past and present 27
- Co-writing about co-producing musical heritage: what happens when musicians and academics work together? 51
- Visibly authentic: images of Romani people from 19th-century culture to the digital age 65
- Digital building heritage 85
- Legacy and lavender: community heritage and the arts 107
-
Heritage as action
- The Caerau and Ely Rediscovering Heritage Project: legacies of co-produced research 129
- Do-it-yourself heritage: heritage as a process (designing for the Stoke ‘Ping’) 149
- From researching heritage to action heritage 171
- Co-productive research in a primary school environment: unearthing the past of Keig 187
- Conclusion: Co-producing futures – directions for community heritage as research 209
- Index 215
