Prof. Dr. Lorely French

Research project at PICAIS

Dreams, Hopes, and Utopias in Literature, Writings, Film, and Art by Roma and Sinti in Europe

Professor Lorely's project centers around the theme "Dreams, Hopes, and Utopias in Literature, Writings, Film, and Art by Roma and Sinti in Europe" and has four interrelated parts. The first part is to plan and then implement in March 2026 a symposium for interested scholars focussing on scholarly papers treating the theme of the project. The second is to curate an exhibit, in conjunction with the symposium in March, in the foyer of the University of Passau Library. The exhibit would highlight the theme of the symposium and focus specifically on the work of the Romani writer, artist, and activitist Ceija Stojka (1933-2013) within the European context of other Romani writers and artists. Stojka survived three concentration camps under National Socialism, and her works depict images of dreams and convey messages of hope and resilience in reaction to the terror she experienced. The symposium and exhibit will showcase the necessity of remaining optimistic in the face of persistent discrimination and persecution. The third part relates to research on Ceija Stojka's private notebooks. Access to available print media resources in the Passau University Library will enable exploration of newspaper articles from the late 1980s until 2013, sources that Ceija Stojka referenced in much of her commentary in the notebooks. The fourth part is to co-publish with Prof. Dr. Marina Ortrud Hertrampf, a volume of essays on the theme of the symposium and exhibit.

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