Why plans for a European Roma Institute might be a setback for Europe’s Roma

The Council of Europe has announced a joint-initiative with the Open Society Foundations (OSF) to establish a European Roma Institute (ERI). Yaron Matras writes that there is a danger the ERI could have negative consequences for academic freedom in the area of Romani studies. He argues that as the endeavour is guided by the philosophy that self-ascribed ancestry should override formal qualifications, the ERI could end up marginalising the study of Romani culture rather than affording it the respect and rigour that it deserves.