Dialogic traits of Roma women leadership

Abstract

Against of what mainstream society believes, Roma women are participating in public spaces of debate and decision-making and taking the lead in opening educational and labor opportunities for themselves, their families and their communities. The specific traits of the type of leadership developed and exercised by Roma women in civic organizations, as something that differs from both the type of leadership done by Roma men, or non-Roma women, is yet scantily researched by academic literature. Aimed at filling this gap, this article presents and discusses what we have identified as dialogic traits in Roma women leadership when engaged in social and political actions. We call these traits “dialogic”, as all of them are constructed and emerged based on egalitarian and intersubjective dialogue among Roma women themselves, and their communities. These traits are, leadership assumed in a relational way, as a collective responsibility and developed with others; putting the Roma values and shared identity at the core; and with a strong understanding of the need of intergenerational solidarity among themselves as a  motor of organized action. Findings are drawn from qualitative interviews conducted with Roma women of diverse ages, and Spanish regions, who are all of them leaders engaged across diverse organized spaces of civic participation, namely Roma women civic organizations, or other types of political institutions.