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Roma Resistance in Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia during World War II

Roma populations have lived on the territory of former Yugoslavia since the 14th century, coexisting alongside the rest of the population for centuries, making them an integral part of local society. Here, as in other European countries, Roma faced repressive measures including assimilation, though, despite this, some managed to maintain a nomadic way of life. During World War II, Nazi and fascist authorities pursued a policy of persecution against the Roma, who were imprisoned, tortured and killed in camps. Roma were also victims of reprisals by Nazi occupation authorities in Serbia, who shot a hundred Roma for each German soldier killed, Roma who resisted the oppression of the Nazi authorities and their allies did so by joining the anti-fascist movement or fleeing camps. Such cases of Roma resistance are insufficiently acknowledged, and, in this paper, I will analyse these examples of Roma resistance during World War II in the region. The topic of Roma resistance still remains insufficiently researched, similar to many other issues related to Roma history in most European historiographies. Despite such marginalised historiographical interest, the issue of Roma resistance is an important area of research, as it points to Roma as active individuals in the fight against Nazi authorities and their allies during World War II. Thus, the Roma become an integral part of the wider history of resistance against the Nazis in Europe. In this paper, I will define the concept of resistance in the context of Roma participation during the Second World War, and I will analyse all the forms of resistance towards Nazi policies of extermination and that of its allies. Furthermore, during World War II, Roma women had an active role in the resistance, and this topic is the most under-researched theme in the context of the Roma genocide during World War II. This topic will be specifically analysed in this paper as a unique aspect of this research.

Roma, Resistance, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia, World War II

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