Roma historiography and its association with India

Since the 18th century, scholars have claimed that the Romani people originated from India, mapping supposed “Roma traits” onto imagined notions of Indian-ness. India has since reappropriated this claim, embracing the Roma as part of its diaspora.

This talk examines the epistemic and political implications of attributing an Indian origin to the Roma. It asks how scholarly efforts to trace Roma ancestry are shaped by dominant epistemes and argues that such claims often reinforce prevailing ideological frameworks, positioning “Indian origin” as a discursive field rather than a settled historical truth.