REFLECTIONS ON FIELDWORK WITH ROMANI WOMEN: RACE, CLASS, AND FEMINISM IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

The copyright for individual articles in both the print and online version of the Anthropology of East Europe Review is retained by the individual authors. They reserve all rights other than those stated here. Please contact the managing editor for details on contacting these authors. Permission is granted for reproducing these articles for scholarly and classroom use as long as only the cost of reproduction is charged to the students. Commercial reproduction of these articles requires the permission of the authors. This paper describes differing notions of feminism, which arose during my fieldwork experiences in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is based on research that I coordinated with Romani women (Gypsies) while working as a volunteer for Medica Infoteka, a local women’s NGO (nongovernmental organization) in Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1998-2000. The present analysis is an attempt to evaluate that research and the issues it raised regarding race, class, and gender. Medica Infoteka was established in April 1993 to provide psycho-social and medical assistance to survivors of war-related rape. During 1998-2000, Medica consisted of a medical clinic, a team of psychologists, a daycare center, two separate accommodations for women and children, workshops in weaving, sewing, hair design, and furniture upholstery, a political and research wing (Infoteka), and a hotline for women and children victims of violence (SOS Telephone). During this time, Medica was shifting its focus from war-related issues to domestic violence against women