Porajmos in the 21st-century Croatian culture of memory : Nebojša Lujanović’s "Oblak boje kože" from the perspective of rescue history

This article examines remembrance of the genocide of the Roma (Porajmos) during World War II. We explore how memory of the Porajmos enters public discourse in the former Yugoslavia, with a focus on Croatia. Our primary aim is to introduce the concepts of rescue history as proposed by Ewa Domańska - a humanistic approach to interpreting history (Domańska 2014, 12-26). Utilizing Domańska’s framework, we analyze Nebojša Lujanović’s novel, Oblak boje kože [‘A Skin-Coloured Cloud’] (2015). Lujanović’s novel is a compelling artistic endeavor that potentially occupies a distinctive position in memorial discourse on the Roma genocide in Croatia. Our interpretative approach through the lens of rescue history unveils the novel’s potential, transforming it from a mere literary text to a performative one.