Annual Congress and Conference on Romani Studies

The Gypsy Lore Society conferences are among the most important annual scientific events devoted to Romani studies worldwide. Each year, the event takes place in a different country and is organized by the Gypsy Lore Society in cooperation with local institutions.
Le drapeau est constitué de deux bandes verte et bleu, avec au milieu une roue qui symbolise la route, le voyage et les origines indiennes
Le drapeau du peuple rom © Libre de droits‎
General information

The Gypsy Lore Society 2025 Annual Meeting and Romani Studies Conference will be held from September 24 to 26 in Paris. The conference is organized on behalf of the Gypsy Lore Society by the Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), the Institut Convergences Migrations (ICM) of the CNRS and FNASAT - Médiathèque "Matéo Maximoff".

Founded in 1795 under the Directoire during the Revolution, the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO) is a public university teaching languages and cultures from around the world. Covering Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, America and Oceania, it is the institute offering the most language training in the world, with 104 languages to date. Romani has been taught here since 1968.

The Institut Convergences Migrations (ICM) brings together nearly 800 researchers from a wide range of disciplines and institutions around the issue of migration, combining social and health sciences. Structured into five thematic departments and a training department, ICM organizes joint research activities (seminars, scientific days, publications...), funds emerging research projects, and young researchers. Since 2020, it has been offering an innovative master's degree combining teaching in the humanities, social sciences and life sciences.

The Fnasat-Gens du voyage is committed to the recognition of the full citizenship of "Gens du voyage" and their access to rights. A driving force behind networks and proposals, Fnasat manages the Matéo Maximoff media library in Paris and publishes the journal Études tsiganes. Created in 1949 by the Études Tsiganes association and managed since 2004 by Fnasat-Gens du Voyage, the Matéo Maximoff media library houses a library of books and documentary, visual and sound archives on the Romani and Traveller worlds. Since 2014, it has been named after one of its founders, the Romani writer Matéo Maximoff, whose handwritten, photographic and film archives it houses.

Conference organizing committee
  • Aurore Tirard - Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO)
  • Adèle Sutre - Institut Convergences Migrations (ICM), CNRS
  • Leny Mauduit - Médiathèque "Matéo Maximoff"
  • Julieta Rotaru - Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO)
  • Magdalena Slavkova - Institute of Ethnology and Folk Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Conference venue and times

The conference will include paper presentations and thematic panels. Panels may be pre-organized or open to all. The organizers will endeavor to limit the programming of parallel sessions in order to maximize participant participation and engagement.

The conference will start on the morning of Wednesday, September 24, 2025, and end on the evening of Friday, September 26. Working hours are 9:30am-12:30pm and 2pm-6pm. Total presentation time for a paper is estimated at 30 minutes: 20 minutes presentation and 10 minutes discussion. Presentation languages are English, French and Romani.

The conference sessions and panels take place at the Condorcet Campus in Aubervilliers (Front Populaire metro station, line 12). This new campus opened in 2019. Dedicated to the humanities and social sciences, it brings together eleven institutions, universities and institutes. The address is 8, cours des Humanités, 93300 Aubervilliers.

Thematic panels

The conference offers the possibility of grouping papers thematically in panels, decided either by the organizers, or on the spontaneous proposal of participants. Here is the list of these open panels, in which you can already register by proposing your contribution (at the general address gypsyloreconference2025@gmail.co m): 

  • Panel 1: The Roma of Ukraine, organized by Elena Marushiakova and Veselin Popov (contact: elena.marushiakova@savba.sk)
  • Panel 2: Religiosity, spirituality and non-religiosity among the Roma, organized by Tatiana Zachar Podolinska and Juraj Majo (contact: Tatiana.podolinska@savba.sk, juraj.majo@savba.sk)
  • Panel 3: Roma slavery in the Romanian Principalities: new contributions and perspectives on historical dependencies, inheritance and emancipation, organized by Viorel Achim, Petre Matei and Julieta Rotaru (contact: viorelachim@hotmail.com, matei.petre.ro@gmail.com, julieta.rotaru@inalco.fr)
  • Panel 4: Discussion around book releases, book series and journals, organized by Raluca Roman (contact: raluca.roman@qub.ac.uk)
  • Panel 5: Romaňi čhib the literatura (Romani language and literature, Romani language panel), organized by Jan Červenka (contact: jan.cervenka@ff.cuni.cz)
  • Panel 6: Le Rom ando historickívo taj ando antropologickívo rodimo (Roma in historical and anthropological research, Romani-language panel), organized by Markéta Hajská (contact: marketa.hajska@ff.cuni.cz)
  • Panel 7: Teaching Romani literature, organized by Anita Tarnai (contact: tarnai.anita@gmail.com)
Dates to remember
  • Article submission deadline: May 1, 2025
  • Contribution acceptance date: May 15, 2025

Abstracts and proposals should be sent to gypsyloreconference2025@gmail.co m. An evaluation committee of international academics, convened by the conference scientific committee and headed by GLS president Tatiana Zachar Podolinská, will make the final selection of papers and panels.

Scientific Committee
  • Tatiana Zachar Podolinská - Slovak Academy of Sciences
  • Elena Marushiakova - University of St Andrews and Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
  • Aurore Tirard - Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO)
  • Adèle Sutre - Institut Convergences Migrations (ICM), CNRS
  • Julieta Rotaru - Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO)
Participation fees

Until June 1, 2025

  • 150 € for GLS members
  • 210 € for non-membersmembers

After June 1, 2025

  • 210 € for GLS members
  • 270 € for non-members

These fees include access to the conference's scientific and cultural programming, coffee breaks over the three days, and conference materials.

Accommodation

Several hotels (from 2 to 5 stars) are located at a moderate distance from the main conference venue, particularly close to the Stade de France. The Front Populaire station on metro line 12 is adjacent to the Condorcet Campus, linking central Paris on one side and Aubervilliers on the other.

  • A limited number of fully-equipped apartments with 3-star hotel services are available at "Break and Home", located in the heart of Campus Condorcet and close to transport links. See this site: https://www.breakandhome.com/condorcet
  • The EasyHotel Paris Nord Aubervilliers hotel (35 Rue des Gardinoux, 93300 Aubervilliers, France) is located on the campus. See site: https://www.easyhotel.com/fr/hotels/france/paris/paris-nordaubervilliers
  • The Campus is just south of the Stade de France. The Ibis Saint-Denis Stade Sud hotel (rue de la Cokerie, Saint Denis La Plaine, tel. 01 55 93 36 00) is around 2.5 kilometers north of the conference venue.
  • The F1 Stade de France hotel is located right next to the Ibis Hotel (rue de la Cokerie, Saint Denis La Plaine, 08 91 70 53 78): https://all.accor.com/hotel/3072/index.fr.shtml
  • East of the campus, around 2.5 km away, you'll find the Ibis Styles Paris Saint Denis La Plaine hotel (212 avenue du Président Wilson, Saint Denis La Plaine, tel. +33 (0) 1 48 09 96 85)

Due to the high demand for accommodation near the Stade de France, it's advisable to book in advance.