PhD-project

Processes of identity formation are explored by focusing on Gypsies in Argentina. The final objective is to understand the interplay between ethnic labelling and self-ascription in the creation of identities. The first part of the project seeks to understand how the notion of Gypsies took shape in Argentina against the background of changing intellectual trends and shifting categorizations in science. Between 1880 and 1930 race became a powerful way to imagine and represent social relations. At the same time, the flow of people across the Atlantic intensified and Argentina turned into the continent's most significant receiver of immigrants. Euro-American scientific notions influenced Argentine intellectuals and politicians and affected policy decisions and immigration legislation. Gypsy history in Argentina challenges the traditional narratives of belonging and contemporary socio-cultural relations of the country. Aleksandra's research not only aims to contribute to a better understanding of the formation of modern Argentina without relying on stereotypes, but also intends to offer an insight into the histories of often oppressed groups in an under-researched context. The second part of the project seeks to understand the processes of identity formation from the point of view of actors who define themselves as Gypsies. Valuable comparisons with earlier research on European Gypsies should become apparent.

Curriculum

Aleksandra Pudliszak studied history and philosophy at the University of Groningen, Sorbonne and the University of Amsterdam. For her MA thesis in History (cum laude) she conducted ethnohistorical research in the Peruvian Andes on Sendero Luminoso and the memories of violence. The Slicher van Bath - de Jong scholarship (2011-2012) gave her the opportunity to do research on Gypsy immigration to Argentina in the early twentieth century. In July 2012 Aleksandra won the Mosaic grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). This PhD project is being carried out at Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (C EDLA) and the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). Aleksandra is supervised by Prof. Dr. Michiel Baud. 

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