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Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in the Western Balkans – Introduction

aUniversity of Education, Germany
bPTE BTK, Hungary

Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in the Western Balkans

ISBN: 978-1-80382-522-9, eISBN: 978-1-80382-521-2

Publication date: 25 October 2023

Abstract

This introduction from Andrea Óhidy and Katalin R. Forray provides a brief overview of the social and educational situation of Roma in the Western Balkan region and the structure of this book. Like in the books Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in Central and Eastern Europe (2019) and Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in Western and Southern Europe (2020), Roma are here described as a ‘hidden minority’ (Cavioni, 2020, p. 68), because despite the great number and the century-long history of Roma people on the European continent, there is still only limited information and knowledge about them, both in public awareness and scientific research. Although most members of the Roma minority have been living for centuries in their European home countries, their situation is still different from the non-Roma populations: They often suffer from socio-economic disadvantages and hate-motivated harassment and discrimination (EU-FRA, 2020a). This is not only the case in the member-states of the European Union but also in the Western Balkan region. All across Europe, there are Roma groups, which are considered to be the most disadvantaged minority, regarding their health, employment and housing and also in education. To increase their situation, European Union member states have developed common strategies, which play a part in negotiations for an EU-membership status. The so-called Western Balkan states – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – might join the European Union in the coming years. The social inclusion of the Roma minority and the protection of their minority rights in these countries were formulated as a precondition for their application for EU membership. Therefore, several goals, policies and measures were implemented there to break the ‘vicious circle of poverty and discrimination’ (EU-FRA, 2020b). Participation in education and lifelong learning have become central elements of these political measures for Roma Inclusion. This book examines the education situation of Roma across the so-called Western Balkan region.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

We want to thank all contributors, especially the authors of the country studies. They are experts who often not only describe and analyse the (education) situation of the Roma minority in their countries but also take part in policy-making, program-developing and practical realisation to improve it in the sense of the Roma inclusion policies.

Special thanks to Alina Boutiuc-Kaiser, Fatima Chahin-Dörflinger, Tibor Cserti-Csapó, Matthias Eickhoff, Roland Hegedűs, Tamás Kozma, Tim Löffler, Janka Vogel, Ulrike Wolff-Jontofsohn for their kind help.

Last but not least, we want to thank the very helpful team of Emerald Publishing.

All chapters of this book underwent two blind peer review processes and a language proof.

Citation

Óhidy, A. and Forray, K.R. (2023), "Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in the Western Balkans – Introduction", Óhidy, A. and Forray, K.R. (Ed.) Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in the Western Balkans, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-521-220231001

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023 Andrea Óhidy and Katalin R. Forray. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited