Racism, Eugenics and the Assumed Inferiority of Romani People

Professor Marius Turda; Oxford Brookes University, and guest speakers Mr John Henry Philips; archaeologist, filmmaker and author and Mrs Terezia Rostas; founder of Care for Young People's Future, Sheffield will discuss the history of eugenics in relation to racism and the treatment of the Roma communities.

After the Holocaust, eugenics was met with general opprobrium, yet it continued to attract political and scientific support. Like the last dandelion seed which clings to the flower until it is blown away by the wind, eugenics replanted itself into fresh ground, providing sustenance to various social, economic, and educational policies across the world. Eugenic terminology which had developed during the period between 1880 and 1940 remains functional in our society today, woven into the fabric of everyday racism, as can be seen in the treatment of the Roma communities in Europe and elsewhere.

By engaging with the history of eugenics, and demanding its condemnation, we strive to understand and reckon with the past, and continue to work for a more fair and just society.