Pamięć Romów i praktyki pamiątkowe Porajmos w Polsce

The war memory of Roma and the associated commemoration practices in contemporary European societies are one of the most powerful tools available for the Roma people in Central Eastern Europe to regain their recognition, as well as to reconstruct the Romani identity. The unique unity that the war memory provides the Roma with it lays the way for the various Romani groups in Poland and other neighboring countries to build a common ground and communication channels that can bring them closer. It gives them a sense of belonging to a collective identity as well as the feeling of having the same fate. Therefore, I would like to carry out in-depth research about the international Caravan Memorial of Tarnów (as a case study) and explore what is so special about that particular Roma community around the city? What are their historical relations with the Poles? Furthermore, how come that they were able to produce such an ‘invented’ tradition that links characteristic elements of the Romani traditional life with the practice of commemorating places of memory of the holocaust. Finally, I will approach the question of how the Caravan Memorial grabbed international attention and how this event, as a symbol of the Roma commemoration, evolved since its start until the latest edition.

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