HEROINES: Heritage of Emancipation is dedicated to advancing the emancipation of Roma women in Serbia through an innovative and inclusive approach: the community mapping methodology. Serving as the cornerstone of the project, this methodology allows existing research limitations to be addressed and provides a platform for Roma women’s empowerment, participation, and self-advocacy. Community mapping is a participatory research method that empowers communities to identify and document their local resources, assets, and challenges. This bottom-up approach recognizes the importance of community voices in shaping their future. Community mapping is a valuable method for fostering community empowerment, promoting local knowledge, and enabling residents to take control of their own development.
HEROINES: Heritage of Emancipation / Institute of Ethnography SASA, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Philosophy, Roma women’s center BIBIJA - Photo: ISO DUO
Exhibition
HEROINES: Heritage of Emancipation
Empowering Roma Women through Building Networks of Solidarity
Institute of Ethnography SASA (RS), University of Belgrade - Faculty of Philosophy (RS), Roma women’s center BIBIJA (RS)
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Institute of Ethnography SASA
The Institute of Ethnography SASA is the main Serbian research institution engaging in systematic ethnological and anthropological study of Serbian culture. It has gathered, interpreted, and published a significant volume of ethnographic data, organized academic exchanges and numerous exhibitions. The Institute of Ethnography has a significant continuity in carrying out projects focusing on immaterial cultural heritage, ethnic identity, interethnic communications, and multiculturalism.
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Roma women’s center BIBIJA
Roma women's center BIBIJA was founded in 1998. The goal of the center is to make visible the problems Roma women face in the society and in their immediate environment. The vision of BIBIJA is an empowered Roma woman and an empowered Roma family and the main task is to understand and put into practice the philosophy of women's empowerment. The center places a special emphasis on Roma young women and girls.
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University of Belgrade–Faculty of Philosophy
Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade is the oldest and most prominent institution of higher education in Serbia. It encompasses 10 departments and 18 research institutes, specialized laboratories, collections, and centers. The Faculty of Philosophy counts on a long-standing tradition and professional expertise in working with cultural heritage, both on the level of research and of museum and heritage-practice, and has a key role in educating heritage professionals in Serbia.
Credits
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Centre for the Promotion of Science (CPN), Republic of Serbia that by choosing to support it financially has recognized the potential of the HEROINES project. Also, we are deeply grateful to all our associates and participants from the citizen side of this project, to the many amazing women from Roma Women’s Network of Serbia, in particular from Roma Women’s Center BIBIJA, Citizens’ Association Ternipe from Pirot and Roma center for women and children Successful Women from Kostolac, who took part in almost all stages of this project.
Presented in the context of IMPETUS. IMPETUS is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101058677 - HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ERA-01.
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