Klaus-Michael Bogdal’s “Europa erfindet die Zigeuner” writes a history of the representation of Rroma in Europe since their arrival in the 15th century (Essig 2012). First seen as pilgrims from Egypt and handled with respect, soon the Rroma were used to produce an anti-notion of what was regarded as European and civilised. They were ascribed to be eternal migrants, thieves or spies for the Ottomans, to name a few among many more pejorative ascriptions. The defamatory stereotypes marked the beginning of an institutionalisation of pseudo-knowledge about the Rroma, which was presented as sound truth. Bogdal, a professor of German literature and specialised in discourse analysis, shows how the negative, pejorative knowledge was successfully institutionalized and subsequently marginalized positive notions of Rroma. The Rroma weren’t given a voice in their representation nor did they succeed in producing any counter-public. Essig (2012) sees the reason for the inability to produce any distinguishable self-representation in the absence of written knowledge, ethics of discreetness and notions of honor among the Rroma. 

Whereas anti-Semitism during the 20th century was strongly connected to  enviousness against success and wealth – in the case of the Jews – antiziganism seems linked to notions of superiority and timely trangression. As a constant issue in the portrayal of the Rroma one can identify the absence of reason and prudence (Ebbinghaus 2012). 

Bogdal (2011) tries to give the reader an understanding of how ‘grand narratives’ – consisting of unsound racial knowledge and imprecise observation and descriptions of Rroma – succeeded in shaping a distorted picture of Rroma realities. In contrast to notions of civilization and societal progress they were stylized to be creatures without history and culture, as an alter ego to an elite European identity. As Bogdal explains in the introduction, his books is not so much about Rroma, but about the how Europeans reacted to and saw the Rroma. It’s a book about ambivalent European morals, exclusion and civilizational arrogance. Bogdal doesn’t reserve himself the right to write how the Rroma really lived and live, but how the European intellectuals and writers portrayed them to do so. It is in its formal kind, a reflection of the power-asymmetries in the representations of Rroma identity. 

Sources:

• Bogdal, Klaus-Michael (2011) Europa erfindet die Zigeuner. Eine Geschichte von Faszination und Verachtung. Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag, Prolog (S. 9-18).
• Ebbinghaus, Uwe (2012) Goldene Zähne, gezinkte Karten. Eine mitreißende Studie über die allmähliche Verfertigung eines historischen Vorurteils: Klaus-Michael Bogdal beschreibt die Geschichte der Zigeuner. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 23.11.2012 [http://www.faz.net/-gr6-6vbnr].  
• Essig, Rolf-Berhard (2012) Der Finger, der auf andere zeigt. Klaus-Michael Bogdal erklärt, wie mit Hilfe der “Zigeuner” eine westliche Überlegenheit definiert wird. In: ‘Die Zeit’ vom 9.2.2012 [http://www.zeit.de/2012/07/L-P-Bogdal].