The Barvalipe Roma Online University is an online educational platform where Roma and non-Roma can access knowledge about the Roma identity(ies), history(ies) and culture(s) thorough a collection of high-quality lectures delivered by leading Roma scholars. The long-term goal of ERIAC through this initiative is to become the referential source of knowledge about Roma culture, history and identity and the expert consultant for governments, public institutions, higher education institutions as well as for the Roma community.
The courses launched throughout 2020 and 2021 consist of a total of 30 lectures delivered by renowned Roma scholars. Together with the Digital Library of Critical Romani Scholarship and the So Nakhlo blog, they comprise a complete curriculum of Roma Cultural History that proposes a canon and acts as a reference for Roma cultural history.
Within the 2022 International Cultural Outreach program, ERIAC focused on the production of educational videos in a conversational tone, that are easier to digest for larger audiences. The idea of the Barvalipe Masterclass was born from the desire for a more appealing presentation and higher-quality production.
In the frame of the Barvalipe Masterclass, ERIAC presents engaging speakers with excellent rhetoric skills, who are the most prominent Roma academics and voices in their field of expertise.
We invite you to watch these thought-provoking sessions and learn about the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Romani people.
As the series continues, we will explore other aspects of Romani culture and history, including Romani poetry, art, and language. We encourage you to stay tuned for further masterclasses and to join us on this journey of discovery and appreciation.
Dr. Adrian Marsh: An Introduction to Romani History, Ethnicity and Identity, part I and part II
Dr. Adrian R. Marsh is of U.K. Romany-Traveller origins, a researcher in Romani Studies and an expert consultant in Romani and Traveller early years education, working with Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities and NGO’s (such as ERIAC, the RomArchive, and the Edirne Romanlar Foundation) in the UK, Sweden, Turkey, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and across Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
His lectures serve as an introduction to Romani history, ethnicity and identity. Divided into two parts, the lectures provide the essential facts about Romani people and are engaging for both Romani and Traveller viewers, who wish to know more about their communities’ histories, as well as for non-Roma who are interested in accessing the results of scholarly research and historical study, which remain excluded from most school curricula.
Dr. Iulius Rostas: An Introduction to Antigypsyism
Dr. Iulius Rostas is a Visiting Professor at the National School of Political Studies and Administration (Romania) and teaches courses on racism at the University of Stuttgart and Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, currently living and working in Berlin. He has worked for the Open Society Foundations, the European Roma Rights Center and the Government of Romania and consulted the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the World Bank, the European Commission and the Roma Education Fund.
In his lecture, Dr. Rostas provides a comprehensive overview of antigypsyism as a social phenomenon, including an insight into definitions and assumptions, examples to manifestations, mechanism, features and consequences of antigypsyism. He also presents examples for concrete actions to combat it through acknowledging past history of oppression, educating citizens, police reform and legislative review, implementing coherent and inclusive policies, among other.