Overview

Roma exclusion remains one of the major social problems in Hungary and Europe as reflected by poor health/mortality rates, low educational attainment and representation, poverty and antigypsyism.

A number of departments and researchers in the Faculty of Social Sciences at ELTE have an active interest in the Roma issue: institutes / departments for Political and International Studies, Social Studies, Minority Studies, Social Work, Social Policy for a Roma Research Group.

The aims of the Roma Research Group:

• encourage Roma to study and research at ELTE;
• encourage radical social work and inclusive community development approaches for Roma communities;
• provide support and training for community-led monitoring and development of community audits/profiles;
• promote discussion around notions of inclusive and emancipatory conceptions of Roma and gender identity;
• organise debates and discussion around asset-based community development to gain deeper insights as to how culture and identity can form the foundation for emancipatory policy interventions;
• explore the use of art, history, culture and drama in community interventions;
• exploration and promotion of action anthropology and ethnography, approaches that seek to develop the understanding of social and cultural life while helping communities address the challenges they face;
• explore how Roma inclusion policies can be improved via the EU Roma strategic framework on equality, inclusion, and participation;
• promote comparative discussion and research between Roma and other marginalised communities such as Indigenous communities of Canada and the USA, continuing the work conducted by POLIR and University of Alberta.

Research group members

• Andrew RYDER, Professor, Coordinator, Department of Global and Development Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
• Iulius ROSTAS, Coordinator, Central European University
• Balázs MAJTÉNYI, Professor, Department of Human Rights and Politics, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
• Ágnes KÖVÉR-VAN TIL, Professor, Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
• István SZIKLAI, Associate Professor, Department of Social Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
• Miklós SZABÓ, Associate Professor, Department of Minority Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
• Gábor JUHÁSZ, Associate Professor, Department of Social Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
• Lilla FARKAS, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Rights and Politics, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
• Péter KÁLLAI, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Rights and Politics, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary

PhD Students

• Benedek DÖRGŐ MA
• Diana ABURAS MA
• Daniel TERNYIK MA
• Imen KHEMAKHEM MA

Other members

• Marius TABA – Visiting Researcher
• Aladár HORVÁTH – Lecturer 

Keywords

Antigypsism, Human Rights, Social Inclusion, Culture and Identity, Community Development, Social Care

Contact information (leader)

Andrew RYDER
Professor, Coordinator
Department of Global and Development Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest (ELTE)
ryder.andrew@tatk.elte.hu