Background and Research Questions
The exploration began from field observation. In Romania, specifically in Dobruja and Călărași municipality, one can encounter a Muslim population that is referred to by the Romanian majority and other ethnic groups as 'Muslim Roma/Turkish Roma'.
One of the first findings of our research was that this group consists of three subgroups who self-identify as Millet, Turkish Tinsmiths, and Davulcu.
Our Project Was Guided by Four Research Questions:
- Who are those identified from the outside as Muslim Roma or Turkish Roma?
- How do they self-identify?
- What is the relationship between their self-narrative and how they are perceived by others?
- What are the origins and histories of these communities?
Objectives
- To analyze the processes of self-identification and hetero-identification of the communities in Dobruja (Romania) identified from the outside perspective as Muslim Roma in Romania.
- To contribute to the knowledge of this group's past through the creation of a database with microhistories of the seven largest compact urban communities in Romania where we can find them.
The Places
The field research was focused on 7 urban centers: Constanța, Medgidia, Mangalia, Tulcea, Babadag, Hârșova, and Călărași.
The settlements have been selected based on previous field research (2015-2018) indicating the presence of a Muslim population perceived by the surrounding population as Muslim Roma, but declaring themselves Turks. The selection was also based on the 2011 census data, indicating that these localities include the largest compact communities of Turks from southern, center, and northern Dobruja.
A particular case is represented by the city of Călărași. Although it is located in an area bordering Dobruja, it was included in the research based on information gathered during field research in Medgidia, in 2015, suggesting that some of the members of the Medgidia Millet have their origins in the community of Călărași.
Methodology and Sources
- Archive research
- Literature analysis
- Press analysis
- Analysis of demographic sources (censuses)
- Life histories interviews and semi-structured interviews