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JEKHIPE Project: Critical Knowledge Production and the Politics of Representation

April 22, 2026
Academic Section Arts and Culture Event - Current History and Commemoration Knowledge Production Media Uncategorized

Within the JEKHIPE project – Reclaiming Our Past, Rebuilding Our Future: New Approaches to Fighting Antigypsyism (JEKHIPE), the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) contributed a distinct epistemological and methodological perspective, one that foregrounds cultural memory, artistic practice, and self-representation as essential components in addressing antigypsyism.

 

JEKHIPE, funded under the European Commission’s CERV programme and implemented by a consortium including ERGO Network, ERIAC, and CEPS alongside national partners, seeks to confront antigypsyism through a multi-layered approach combining research, policy engagement, and public dissemination.

 

Infographics for Public Engagement

A central dimension of ERIAC’s involvement lies in the conceptual development and narrative framing of the project’s infographic series. These outputs function not merely as communication tools, but as forms of visual knowledge production that translate complex historical, sociopolitical, and institutional processes into accessible formats.

 

The core infographic series offers a comprehensive exploration of key themes that define Roma experiences and the structures that affect them. These include:

 

Recognizing that antigypsyism manifests differently across national contexts, JEKHIPE also presents country-specific infographics that delve into structural realities and policy environments:

 

National infographics:

  • Germany – From Memory to Action: Confronting Antigypsyism in Modern Germany [View Infographic: In English/ In German]
  • Spain – Unfinished Justice: Understanding Structural Antigypsyism [View Infographic: In English/ In Spanish]
  • Czechia – From Exclusion to Equity: Breaking the Cycle of Antigypsyism [View Infographic: In English/ In Czech]
  • Romania – Legacy of Exclusion: Unmasking Structural Inequality [View Infographic: In English/ In Romanian]
  • Sweden – Unseen Barriers The Structural Reality of Being Roma in Sweden [View Infographic: In English/ In Swedish]
  • Italy – Unrecognized and Unequal The Struggle for Roma Rights [View Infographic: In English/ In Italian]

Each national case study reflects both shared European patterns and distinct historical trajectories, offering a nuanced perspective on how antigypsyism is reproduced—and how it can be dismantled.

 

Masterclasses & Research

Beyond visual outputs, ERIAC has played a significant role in the development of the project’s masterclass series, which functions as a platform for critical inquiry and interdisciplinary dialogue. These sessions bring together scholars, artists, and activists to examine antigypsyism through multiple lenses, including historical analysis, cultural production, and political mobilization.

 

These masterclasses are based on rigorous research produced and developed within the JEKHIPE project. Six research fellows from Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Czechia, and Sweden were selected to produce in-depth papers documenting historical and contemporary forms of antigypsyism, Roma civil rights movements, and cultural history in their national contexts.

 

These papers are designed to generate new historical evidence, enrich academic and policy debate, and inform public-facing outputs. Each study is published in both the national language and English to ensure accessibility at local and European levels. 

 

 

Representation, Agency, and Institutional Transformation

By advocating for the active involvement of Roma experts, artists, and researchers in the production and dissemination of knowledge, ERIAC addresses longstanding imbalances in who is authorized to speak on Roma issues.

 

The Guidelines on the Promotion of Roma Identity, History, and Culture, created by the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) within the JEKHIPE project, represent an extensive evidence-gathering on how narratives are currently perceived in the JEKHIPE project countries: Romania, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Sweden. They are designed to help practitioners move from “symbolic gestures” toward “structural participation,” where Roma artists and scholars hold shared authority in museums, media, and policy frameworks.

 

The guidelines provide a strategic framework for creating compelling messages that avoid the “victimhood” trap. Instead, they center on:

  • Agency and Contribution: Highlighting Roma as active historical actors and democratic contributors.
  • Intersectionality: Acknowledging the diversity within the community, including gender, age, and sexual orientation, to break down monolithic stereotypes.
  • Public Memory: Using public spaces and commemorative practices to negotiate a shared history that includes Roma testimonies alongside official documents.

The resulting outputs not only disseminate knowledge, but also intervene in the ways that knowledge is produced, represented, and received. In doing so, they contribute to a more nuanced and reflexive understanding of antigypsyism, one that acknowledges its structural dimensions while foregrounding the cultural and epistemic conditions that sustain or challenge it.

 

Detailed records of project outputs, including research data and scholarly publications, are publicly accessible via the project’s dedicated website: antigypsyism.eu