Abstract

According to opinion polls, Germans are less favorably disposed towards the Sinti and Roma than towards any other ethnic group, despite the fact that few Germans have any personal knowledge of them or even realize that the Sinti and Roma in Germany include both Germans and non-Germans. The image of the Sinti and Roma prevalent in German society and literature is one similarly founded on misconceptions and stereotypes. This volume deals in depth with the life of the Sinti and Roma in Germany and their representation in German literature, giving the background to the maltreatment, underlining the fact that the persecution of Gypsies during the Nazi period, which until the 1980s has been totally marginalized by historians, did not cease in 1945. The continuity of anti-Gypsyism is traced to the present day, and the efforts, achievements and aspirations of the Sinti and Roma civil rights movement are highlighted.

"... this collection…is most welcome ... presents aspects of a fascinating and complex picture ... this informative and thought-provoking project calls upon us, the readers, to re-examine our own moral and ethical positions."   · Monatshefte

"... a very welcome and ... successful first account from a variety of perspectives of Sinti and Roma in German-speaking society ... sensibly restricted to providing background information on the history and problems of Sinti and Roma as well as a more specific literary focus."  · Journal of European Area Studies

Susan Tebbutt is Lecturer in German at the University of Bradford.