In-between: il contributo del femminismo rom alla decolonizzazione delle scienze sociali

This article aims to present the contributions of a number of Romani activists and academics, several of whom explicitly identify as “feminists,” to Romani Studies over the past two decades, promoting a “critical turn,” as well as contributing to the social sciences more broadly. Drawing on critical social theories - such as critical race theory, feminist and intersectional approaches, and postcolonial theory - and focusing on epistemic power relations in Romani Studies, Romani feminism explicitly seeks to decolonize the field. Offering a “meridian” perspective rooted in Europe’s internal margins, Romani feminism provides a unique lens through which to interpret social reality and produce counter-hegemonic discourse. The article is structured in two main parts. The first section reviews contributions that have theorized the condition of Romani people in Europe as “internally colonized.” The second section traces the emergence, contributions, and recent developments of Romani feminism in activism and academia. The conclusion summarizes the main contributions of Romani feminism and the recent field of Critical Romani Studies to the decolonization of the social sciences.