“We need to learn about each other and unlearn patterns of racism”: A conversation with Angéla Kóczé

From the point of view of state legislation East Central European Roma communities were practically invisible during state socialism. Anti-Gypsyism permeated all strata of societies to become a rampant phenomenon after 1989. Anti-Roma racism has been built on old colonial notions - including the “biological” interpretation of race - although its roots run deeper than the Second World War or even the colonial times. Therefore, understanding historical trajectory, current situation and future possibilities of Eastern European Roma communities necessitates a dialogue between postcolonial and postsocialist lived experiences and scholarly toolkits. As a scholar, writer, teacher and cultural and community organizer Angéla Kóczé has been invested for decades in developing a critical race feminist agenda sensitive to the specific characteristics and needs of East Central European Roma communities. Zooming in and out between personal motivations and wider observations about academic and social patterns this conversation aims to contribute to feminist scholarship on race and Roma in Eastern Europe.