Zigeuner

Curatorial Note

Published in 1979, this substantial illustrated study examines Roma and Sinti history and social life with particular attention to Burgenland and Hungary. Jóska Benkő brings together historical, ethnographic, and social material concerning origins, settlement, language, occupations, music, relations with the majority population, state regulation, discrimination, and persecution, including the National Socialist period. Its strong regional focus makes the volume an important early reference for the historical study of the Burgenland Roma and neighboring communities in Hungary, and it has subsequently been cited in research on Roma history and persecution in Austria. At the same time, its terminology and some of its interpretive frameworks reflect the period in which it was produced and should be approached critically within the historiography of Romani studies.