WHERE ARE THE GYPSY CHILDREN? SUBJECTS ON THE MARGINS OF RESEARCH AND TEXTS

Abstract

This article stems from the following question: why is there a lack of research on Roma children in childhood studies in Brazil? Why do we have so few ethnographies on Roma children in the country? Therefore, this article aimed to map research on Roma people in Brazil that considered children, in diverse areas of knowledge, to survey the themes, approaches, and perspectives. We found Roma children marginalized in the text, and their childhoods analyzed in ethnocentric terms. We believe that anthropological research that takes these children as protagonists would shed light on their presence and importance in their ethnic groups, for the maintenance of their social organization and the perpetuation of their traditional communities. This research could also support public policies aimed at Roma children and Roma people in general. This text argues in favor of an Anthropology of the Roma Child, for the understanding of Roma childhoods in their own terms.