ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 concentrates on the performance of whiteness in contemporary public discourses concerning Roma and their experience. Various examples of manifesting whiteness (TV shows, public follow-up on overt racism or, even more, self-representation by Roma in response to racially minded expectations) are explored, elaborating a framework for adapting critical whiteness as a strategy for coping with racial prejudice against Roma. The two main streams of critical whiteness – racial skepticism and critical conservatism – are discussed in terms of their suitability for achieving epistemic justice for Roma. The choice in favor of critical conservatism is examined through exploring the adaptation of critical whiteness in the studies of Roma in Western Europe.
