Identifying and Removing the Silences of Roma Culture in Polish School Texts

Abstract

The Roma are the largest and, some scholars would argue, the most marginalized group in Europe, an observation evident in an examination of school texts for Polish children. Using the concept of the “geographies of silence,” we discuss the nature of text and graphical silences and the reasons behind the paucity of text, photo, and map coverage. We conclude by presenting photos that could be used in future texts to better inform Polish youth about a much-neglected part of their culture.

Key Words:

• Polish Roma
• marginalization
• silences
• textbooks

View correction statement:

Correction

Acknowledgments

We thank Donna Gilbreath for assistance with editing, graphics, and manuscript preparation.

Additional information

Agnieszka Świętek is Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Pedagogical University of Cracow, Cracow, Poland.

Stanley Brunn is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

Bożena Wójtowicz is Professor in the Department of Geography at Pedagogical University of Cracow, Cracow, Poland.