Paula Simon (doctoral research fellow) - summer term 2025

Paula Simon, historian and doctoral candidate at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, reconstructs stories about the lives of Roma in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia based on archival documents. Her research focuses on the perspectives and narratives of the police, science, and the press.

Drawing a preliminary conclusion from her current research, Paula argues that "in the discourse at the time, mobility was portrayed as the primary issue concerning Roma. Although those Roma who did not have a permanent residence made up the smallest group within the minority, they were overrepresented in the narratives of the police, the scientific community, and the contemporary press. On the other hand, those Roma who had been settled for generations, identified as Serbs or Yugoslavs, founded cultural and social associations during the interwar period, and even published their own magazine, were underrepresented in these discourses. The consequences of the visibility of those groups that seemingly confirmed existing anti-Roma prejudices—and the invisibility of those who could have disproven such stereotypes—are still felt today."