Jekatyerina Dunajeva explores how two dominant stereotypes—“bad Gypsies” and “good Roma”—took hold in formal and informal educational institutions in Russia and Hungary. She shows that over centuries “Gypsies” came to be associated with criminality, lack of education, and backwardness. The second notion, of proud, empowered, and educated “Roma,” is a more recent development. By identifying five historical phases—pre-modern, early-modern, early and “ripe” communism, and neomodern nation-building—the book captures crucial legacies that deepen social divisions and normalize the constructed group images. The analysis of the state-managed Roma identity project in the brief korenizatsija program for the integration of non-Russian nationalities into the Soviet civil service in the 1920s is particularly revealing, while the critique of contemporary endeavors is a valuable resource for policy makers and civic activists alike. The top-down view is complemented with the bottom-up attention to everyday Roma voices. Personal stories reveal how identities operate in daily life, as Dunajeva brings out hidden narratives and subaltern discourse. Her handling of fieldwork and self-reflexivity is a model of sensitive research with vulnerable groups.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments PART I. Introduction Chapter 1.: Author's Purpose Personal Note Roma and Romani Studies Notes on Methodology Structure and Subject of the Book Chapter 2: Theories and Concepts—State, Nation, and Identit Homogenization Efforts During State and Nation Building Managing the Population and Classifying Identities Comparative and Historical Study: Roma in Hungary and Russia throughout Time PART II. Bad Gypsies and Good Roma in Historical Perspective Chapter 3: Early Nation and State Building in Empires Early State and Nation Building: Control over the "Other" Enduring "Backwardness" Chapter 4: The End of Empires The End of Empires: World War One and the 1917 Revolution Soviet Nativization Policiies in te 1920s and '30s Hungary After the Treaty of Trianon A Note on the Holocaust Chapter 5: State Socialism (1945–1989) Assimilationist Campaigns Political Education in State-Socialist Schools Categorization of Roma: Legacies of Socialist Identity Politics and Critical Voices PART III. Contemporary Identity Formation Chapter 6: Fieldwork Fieldwork and Positionality Ethnography: Ethics, Reflexivity, and Positionality Chapter 7: "Bad Gypsies"—Negotiation of Identities in Primary Schools Neo-Modern State Building: National Revival and Patriotic Youth Bad Gypsies in Segregated Schools Disciplining Bad Gypsies in Classrooms Reproducing and Contesting Stereotypes Chapter 8: Making Good Roma from Bad Gypsies Contemporary Antigypsyism Pro-Roma Civil Society's Roots, Goals, and Projects Negotiation of Identity and Non-state Actors Chapter 9: Negotiating Identity Identity Struggles Identity and Belonging Kinship and Community PART IV. Concluding Remarks Chapter 10: Summary and Best Practices Best Practices References Index