THE STANCE OF THE AUTHORITIES AND PUBLIC IN THE KINGDOM OF CROATIA AND SLAVONIA
TOWARDS THE ROMA POPULATIONS DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Danijel Vojak & Filip Tomić Institute of Social Science “Ivo Pilar”
Abstract:
The goal of this article is to present a case study of the Roma people in the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia during the First World War. An analysis of primarily legal provisions and periodicals is used as the basis for a discussion on the stance of the authorities and public towards the Roma population. In addition to a broader contextualization and problematisation of the Roma Question, which was an important issue in the province starting from the second half of the 19th century, we strive to offer an answer to questions such as why did the “Gypsy Question” become so prominent during the war, how did legal and journalistic texts present and treat the Roma population, was there a specific perception regarding that population when compared to other categories of “suspicious” citizens, and why were the Roma seen as a threat to the social order?
In: Kyuchukov, Hristo; Elena Marushiakova; and Vesselin Popov (eds.). 2016. Roma: Past, present, future. ISBN 9783862887361[6]: 90-100. (pdf e-paper).