Roma-ness in Music, Music in Roma-ness: The Musical Craft of Slovak Roma in Klenovec and Kokava

Abstract

This PhD thesis is an ethnographic case study exploring practices of professional music-making among Roma in two municipalities in south-central Slovakia: Klenovec and Kokava nad Rimavicou. It is based on long-term ethnographic research carried out from 2013; most of the ethnographic data presented in this thesis were collected between 2018 and 2019 during a dedicated period of PhD fieldwork. The introductory chapter outlines the main research questions by describing the development of the research focus for the thesis, and it introduces the principal research methods – ethnographic and visual. The first findings chapter is an ethnographic description of the location in question, with a special focus on socio-cultural, socio-political and socio-economic conditions and the lives of local Roma under these conditions. The second chapter deals with Romani ethnic identity in the locality; it employs theories of (Romani) ethnicity, describes how this is typically manifest and discusses its significance for professional music-making. The third chapter is based on theories from economic anthropology and looks at Romani professional music-making from the perspective of economic exchange, considering it as an income-generating activity and a distinctive cultural practice. The fourth and last findings chapter looks at Roma-ness in music – a form of enactment of Romani ethnic specificity in the context of professional music-making – framed by impression management theories. The concluding chapter revisits the research questions, indicates paths for further research, critically evaluates the research methodology and reflects upon the positionality of the research. The thesis is complemented with audio-visual material resulting from various visual methods – work with photographs, video and film. These are accessible online through links and QR codes.