Kállai Ernő, György Majtényi, Zsuzsanna Mikó and Péter Tóth. 2022. The Hungarian Gypsies/ Roma I–II. Budapest: National Archives of Hungary.

Abstract

Unlike many other nations, the Roma lacked their own written historical records; thus, our understanding of their history is exclusively derived from the documents of the communities and societal settings they interacted with. This interaction rarely yielded substantial documentary evidence about the Roma. When records did emerge, they were often in the context of criminal activities, employment, and more commonly, due to the policies of sovereigns regulating their settlement and everyday life throughout various historical periods. Consequently, analysing these records on a singular, individual basis can lead to a skewed perception, thereby failing to provide a comprehensive understanding of Roma history. The book under review, “A magyarországi cigányok/romák I-II,” offers an extensive collection of sources, contributing significantly to the understanding of the Roma past within Hungarian historiography. This work is part of the “Minorities in Hungary: National, Ethnic, and Religious Communities” (Magyarországi kisebbségek: nemzeti, nemzetiségi és vallási közösségek) series. The selection of sources, editing, and preparation were undertaken by Ernő Kállai, György Majtényi, Zsuzsanna Mikó, Péter Tóth, and organized by the National Archives of Hungary.