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AbstractSince the early 1990s, large numbers of Polish Roma have emigrated, mainly to Germany and Great Britain. Unlike the migration of Polish (non-Roma) citizens there was an intriguing silence regarding the migration of this ethnic group. The absence of Roma in the grand narrative of migrations from Poland, as we argue, suggests that the notion of belonging and citizenship were unequally distributed among Poland's population. Based on our ongoing ethnographic research among Polish Roma migrants, complemented by an analysis of relevant documents, we argue that these inequalities and hierarchies are deeply rooted and there is an interesting continuity in how they were produced and reproduced prior to and after the 1989 regime change. We argue that one of the key factors in these movements, the collectiveness of the migration project – i.e. migrating as an extended family group as a component of the moral economy of Roma mobility – is mutually produced by unequal citizenship, mobility regimes and strong moral obligations stemming from kinship ties.

The article discusses the case of academic silence with regards to the migration of Roma from Poland – both in Polish Romani studies and in migration studies. The absence of Romani migration in migration research in Poland is contrasted with the absence of the subject of migration in Romani studies, offering a glimpse into fundamental assumptions, and politically and ideologically determined paradigms within both areas. Paradoxically, the group associated in the social imaginary with mobility is absent in migration studies in Poland. Quite surprisingly, Polish Roma are static and immobilized in Polish Romani studies. The aim ofthis paper is to critically explore this particular type of discursive silence and how it impacts migration and Romani studies.

This article discusses the phenomenon of academic silence in regard to Romani migration from Poland — both in Polish Romani studies and in migration studies. The absence of the subject of Romani migration in migration research in Poland is contrasted with the absence of the subject of migration in Romani studies. Paradoxically, the group most associated in the social imaginary with mobility is absent from migration studies in Poland. On the other hand, in studies of the Romani people in Poland, the group turns out to be surprisingly static and immobilized. The aim of the paper is to explore this particular type of discursive silence, to consider the underlying theoretical and conceptual reasons for it, and finally, to reflect on how it impacts migration and Romani studies.