University of Silesia in Katowice

Mission and goals

At the Roma Research Centre, we deal with the issues surrounding Roma identity and culture. Our mission is to create a platform for the exchange of experiences, build interdisciplinary research teams and conduct joint research, not only on the domestic, but also on the international level.

Both in Poland and in Europe, there are only local research centres focusing on the subject matter, and international institutions are rather administrative in their nature. We would like to change that.

The leading research topic carried out at the Roma Research Centre is conducting research on the Roma community, through the integration of the scientific community, in order to understand the importance of this ethnic minority in Europe and the characteristics of its socio-economic, cultural and linguistic conditions. The tasks will be co-funded and implemented in cooperation with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) under the Memorandum of Understanding.

Selected goals in cooperation with ICCR:

• short-term exchanges of specialists from India and Poland,
• 2-3 scholarship exchanges co-financed by a grant for research in India or two to three Indian scholarships for research in Poland – scholarship holders will receive financial aid for the stay and research publication,
• one international conference on the Roma community each year, alternately in India and Poland, as well as two seminars a year (once in India, once in Poland),
• selecting and proposing scholarships or internships by ICCR with Roma students,
• publication of research papers in journals focused on research on the Roma diaspora and Roma groups,
• cooperation with Indian universities or institutions that offer courses in the Roma studies,
• publication of scientific monographs in the area of ​​Roma studies in prestigious publishing houses in Europe and India.

An international community (International Network) of the Romani language teachers and Roma researchers from all over Europe and India is currently being established. There will also be a programme for 3rd cycle studies students conducting research on Roma issues (Roma Issues Network) in Europe and India.