Toninato, Paola. (2006) Translating Gypsies Nomadic Writing and the Negotiation of Romani Identity. TRANSLATOR, 12 (2 Sp. Iss. SI). pp. 233-251. ISSN 1355-6509

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Travelling Roma have for centuries been portrayed by non-Roma (Gadze) in idyllic or sharply negative images that have little connection with the social context of Romani nomadism. Romani authors have begun to resist and relativize such representations, thereby giving rise to an autochthonous written literature. This article analyzes texts in which Romani authors challenge the stereotypical image of the 'travelling Gypsies' by emphasizing the reality of an independent nomadic way of life. It argues that Romani authors are acting as translating subjects in two ways: by being translators of Romani texts, and as Roma activists engaged in 'translating' their culture for non-Gypsy audiences. The article further argues that an important part of Romani literature is devoted to autoethnography, conceived as a strategy used by the Roma to represent themselves 'through the eyes of the other 'without losing their cultural specificity. The Roma's use of writing and translation are interpreted as alternative sites of enunciation which question the rigid Roma/Gadze polarity and open up new possibilities for negotiating Romani identity through dialogue and mutual recognition as well as demarcating their own space. A crucial factor in this context is the growing use and appreciation of a unifying Romani language, romanes. Increased use of romanes in written form presents, among other things, new opportunities for translating Gypsies to challenge asymmetrical power relations between Roma and Gadze.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	P Language and Literature
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts > Italian
Journal or Publication Title:	TRANSLATOR
Publisher:	ST JEROME PUBLISHING
ISSN:	1355-6509
Date:	November 2006
Volume:	12
Number:	2 Sp. Iss. SI
Number of Pages:	19
Page Range:	pp. 233-251
Publication Status:	Published
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/32699

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item