We are pleased to invite you to this year’s annual conference of the Prague Center for Romani Histories this time organized by Mariana Sabino Salazar from the Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences.

The lconference explores the complex dynamics of Romani identity, representation, and belonging across historical and contemporary contexts It will take place in Prague from May 27 to May 29, 2026.

The conference brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to examine Romani identity It focuses on practices of imitation, identity performance, and claims to authenticity—highlighting how Romani identity has been both stigmatized and appropriated.

Through keynote lectures, panel discussions, and a concluding book debate, the conference addresses key questions: Who has the authority to claim or represent Romani identity? How do practices of cultural appropriation intersect with issues of power, recognition, and resource distribution? And how do these dynamics shape broader understandings of race, citizenship, and belonging?

The programme opens on May 27 with a keynote lecture by Dalen Wakeley-Smith (Washington University in St. Louis), examining representations of Romani identity in early 20th-century America. The main conference day on May 28, hosted at Vila Lanna, features four thematic panels covering topics such as ethnic shifting, institutional gatekeeping, cultural performance, and the ethics of representation in the arts.

On May 29, the programme continues with a discussion with Chelsi West Ohueri (University of Texas at Austin) on rethinking race in Eastern Europe, followed by a reception. Participants may also join an optional guided visit to the Memorial of the Holocaust of the Roma and Sinti at Lety u Písku, offering an opportunity to engage with the ongoing debates around memory, recognition, and public history in the Czech Republic.

The conference is supported by the Czech Academy of Sciences (Lumina Quaeruntur Fellowship), Strategy AV21, and the ERC project Inclusive History of East-Central Europe.

We warmly welcome academics, students, and members of the public interested in questions of identity, race, and cultural representation to attend. 

Anyone who would like to attend, please send an email to Mariana Sabino-Salazar, sabino@eu.cas.cz.