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The Romani People and Selected Churches in Slovakia

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The Romani People and Selected Churches in Slovakia THE ROMANI PEOPLE AND SELECTED CHURCHES IN SLOVAKIA THE ROMANI PEOPLE AND SELECTED CHURCHES IN SLOVAKIA: A DESCRIPTION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF THEIR RELATIONS (1989-2007) Het Roma volk en geselecteerde kerken in Slowakije: Een beschrijving, analyse en interpretatie van hun relaties (1989-2007) (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. dr. J.C. Stoof, ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op maandag 2 maart 2009 des middags te 2.30 uur door Glen Randolph Robertson geboren op 7 juni 1949 te Tillamook, Oregon, U.S.A. Promotoren: Prof. dr. J.A.B. Jongeneel Prof. dr. A.M. Kool Co-promotor: Dr. J. Brenkus TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................. I PREFACE....................................................................................................................V ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................... IX GLOSSARY............................................................................................................... XI 1 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................1 1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .......................................................................1 1.2 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................4 1.2.1 Historical Method..............................................................................4 1.2.2 Comparative Method .........................................................................5 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY............................................................................6 1.4 SOURCES........................................................................................................9 1.4.1 Primary Sources.................................................................................9 1.4.2 Secondary Sources...........................................................................10 2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS TO 1989..................................................17 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................17 2.2 THE GENERAL HISTORY OF THE ROMANI PEOPLE........................................18 2.2.1 Linguistic Studies ............................................................................18 2.2.2 Anthropological Studies ..................................................................22 2.2.3 Sociological Studies ........................................................................24 2.2.4 Historical Studies.............................................................................25 2.3 THE HISTORY OF THE ROMANI PEOPLE IN THE PRESENT SLOVAK REGION ..28 2.3.1 Arrival (1217)..................................................................................28 2.3.2 Persecution (1427)...........................................................................31 2.3.3 Habsburg Era (1740—1918)............................................................33 2.3.4 Nazi Era (1938—1945) ...................................................................35 2.3.5 Communist Era (1945—1989) ........................................................37 2.4 CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................41 3 DEVELOPMENTS AFTER 1989 ....................................................................45 3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................45 3.2 POLITICAL CONTEXT ...................................................................................45 3.2.1 Czechoslovakia (1989—1992) ........................................................46 i 3.2.2 Slovakia, A New Nation (1993—) ..................................................48 3.3 SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT .........................................................................54 3.3.1 Housing ...........................................................................................55 3.3.2 Education.........................................................................................58 3.3.3 Employment ....................................................................................59 3.3.4 Health Care......................................................................................63 3.4 CULTURAL CONTEXT...................................................................................67 3.4.1 Structures and Stereotypes...............................................................67 3.4.2 Nationhood and Multiculturalism....................................................71 3.4.3 Exclusion, Assimilation, and Inclusion ...........................................74 3.5 CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................84 4 RELIGIOSITY OF THE ROMANI PEOPLE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVAKIA........................................................................................................89 4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................89 4.2 RELIGIOSITY PRIOR TO THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH ........89 4.3 ENCOUNTER WITH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH....................................................95 4.4 ROMANI CHRISTIANITY ...............................................................................97 4.4.1 Characteristics .................................................................................98 4.4.2 Influences ......................................................................................100 4.4.3 Faith Levels ...................................................................................109 4.5 SECULARIZATION AMONG THE ROMANI PEOPLE .......................................118 4.6 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................120 5 PARTICIPATION OF THE ROMANI PEOPLE IN CHURCH LIFE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVAKIA ................................................................125 5.1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................125 5.2 CHURCH LIFE IN COMMUNIST AND POST-COMMUNIST SLOVAKIA ............125 5.3 THE ATTITUDE OF SELECTED CHURCHES TOWARD THE ROMANI PEOPLE .132 5.3.1 Roman Catholic Church ................................................................132 5.3.2 Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession...........134 5.3.3 Reformed Church of Slovakia .......................................................135 5.3.4 Evangelical Methodist Church of Slovakia ...................................135 5.3.5 Baptist Union of Slovakia..............................................................135 5.3.6 Apostolic Church of Slovakia........................................................136 5.4 PARTICIPATION LEVELS OF THE ROMANI PEOPLE IN CHURCH LIFE ...........137 5.4.1 Roman Catholic Church ................................................................137 5.4.2 Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession...........142 5.4.3 Reformed Church of Slovakia .......................................................145 5.4.4 Evangelical Methodist Church of Slovakia ...................................149 5.4.5 Baptist Union of Slovakia..............................................................151 5.4.6 Apostolic Church of Slovakia........................................................153 5.5 PARTICIPATION MODELS IN CHURCH STRUCTURE AND THE FORMATION OF THEOLOGY.................................................................................................157 5.5.1 Congregational Models: Multiethnic and Indigenous....................158 5.5.2 Participation in Contextual Theology............................................164 5.6 CRUCIAL RELATIONAL PROBLEMS ............................................................167 5.6.1 Prejudices from the Romani People's Perspective.........................168 5.6.2 Prejudices from the Selected Churches Perspective ......................170 5.7 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................173 6 IDENTITY, COMMUNICATION, AND PARTICIPATION.....................177 6.1 THE IDENTITY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND THE ROMANI PEOPLE......180 6.2 COMMUNICATION AT THE FAITH LEVEL ....................................................182 6.3 COMMUNICATION AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL .................................184 6.4 PARTICIPATION OF ROMANI CHRISTIANS IN SOCIETY AT LARGE ...............187 APPENDICES ..........................................................................................................189 SOURCES.................................................................................................................195 INDEX.......................................................................................................................215 SAMENVATTING...................................................................................................221 ZÁVER......................................................................................................................225 CURRICULUM VITAE..........................................................................................227 iii PREFACE
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