Lorely French, Pacific University

The Roma as European Family? Family Structures in Writings by Austrian Roma

Several politicians and writers have characterized the Roma as the “europäischste Europäer.” In his book Das europäische Alphabet, for example, Karl-Markus Gauß, the Austrian essayist, critic, and editor of the journal Literatur und Kritik, sees the Roma as embodying characteristics that new Europeans should emulate in efforts to unify their continent: “Die Roma […] verkörpern auf existentielle Weise schon lange, was den neuen Europäern von morgen abverlangt wird: finden sie sich doch in einem Europa zurecht, in dem der einzelne der alten Sicherheiten des Nationalstaats verlustig geht, und wissen sie sich doch, vielerlei Einflüssen ausgesetzt, ihre kulturelle Einheit inmitten fremder Völker zu erhalten“ (184). According to Gauß, the Roma form a society without territory, „eine Gemeinschaft ohne Territorium“ (185). That society is highly adaptable to change and new people. Thus, the Roma rarely think in terms of national borders, but rather in terms of family, both immediate and extended. Most Roma, according to Gauß, consider national borders only when those borders present obstacles to reuniting the family.

My paper will look at the ways in which Austrian Roma writers view themselves as rooted in Austrian culture while also belonging to the larger European realm. Inhabiting both the microcosm within their national border and the macrocosm of the larger continent, writers such as Mišo Nikoli?, Karl Stojka, Mongo Stojka, and Ceija Stojka, and Simone Schönett portray the ties that connect their individual families with their history as European Roma. In the works of these writers, the concept of family is highly visible, both in the historical context of persecution that affected so many European Roma as well as in the social context that binds the varying groups together within contemporary Austria. A close examination of selections from these writers’ autobiographies, poetry, and fictional work reveals, on the one hand, several references to long lines of ancestors; to stories and accomplishments of previous generations; and to interactions with immediate family members. On the other hand, whereas their vast European family connections provide them with a sense of shared home and collective history no matter where they travel in the continent, their Austrian roots lie deep. As Ceija Stojka writes in a catalogue of her paintings: “ich bin eine Wurzel/aus Österreich/meine Wurzeln liegen/tief/ja tief in der Erde/und mein Stamm ist/kräftig und gesund.“

Hence, one must be cautious in projecting a too idealistic view of the Roma family structure within a larger European context. In the sub-layers of several texts writers stress the diversity between various Roma groups and families. That diversity becomes important in an effort to avoid overarching stereotypes that often lead to racial discrimination. Works frequently refer to transitional phases in which Austrian Roma have been situated. Transitions sometimes bring strife and conflict that may threaten the family unit. In this way, writers then often rely even more heavily on particular Austrian contexts, customs, and history to bind themselves to immediate family structures within national boundaries.

Thus, while the idea of relying on the family structure as one model upon which to base a new Europe is intriguing, as the Roma may show us, they also indicate that no family is without its challenging intricacies. And while the Roma have had to be especially adaptable to new historical and social situations, they also depend on their collective history and on immediate stable family conditions to survive. In this way, Roma writers’ portrayals of their family structures offer excellent examples of the complexities facing Europeans as the latter consider maintaining their own national identities within the larger continental context.