Deutsch | Romanes
Member of the Advisory Board
Dr Jana Horváthová was born in 1967 in Brno in the Czech Republic. She is the director of the Museum of Romani Culture, Brno/Czech Republic.
Her father comes from an ancient Holomek family of Czech Roma (respectively Moravian Roma).
She is historian and museologist, co-founder (1991) and current director of the Museum of Roma Culture, a governmental organization (Ministry of Culture – the Department of Museums and Galleries).
In her scholarly work she focuses on the history of the Roma in the first half of the 20th century. Horváthová is interested in a historic group of Roma who came to the Czech lands in the late 17th century and who became the subject of the Nazi genocide during World War II; thereby she focuses mainly on the method of oral history.
She lectures on history, spiritual and material culture of the Roma and published “Kapitoly z dějin Romů. Chapters from the History of the Roma” (Prague, 2002) and “Devleskere čhave. The testimony of old postcards” (Poprad, 2006).
Education and academic qualifications
1990 History, Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts, Brno
1990 PhD.
1997 Museology, Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts, Brno
Professsional experience
1989 Lector, City Museum Brno
1991 Secretary for education, school system and culture at the political party Romská občanská iniciativa, Party headquarters, Prague
1991 – up to now Historian and museologist at the Museum of Romani Culture (MRC), Brno
1998 – 2003 Deputy director and leader of special workers
since 2003 Director of the Museum
Research activities
Oral history, in particular the documentation of the history and culture of the Czech and Moravian Roma
Roma Visual Arts
Building museum’s collections, temporary exhibitons and permanent exhibitons
Projects (selection)
2004 Interview with Roma seniors, Czech and Moravian Roma, who witnessed the Roma Genocide during World War II
2010 Exhibiton “Plátna pro velké černé oči” (Canvas for Big Black Eyes) by Míla Doleželová, drafting the catalogue of the exhibition
2011 Drafting a textbook for the project CERME – The Center for Religious Studies and Multicultural Education
2002–2011 Conceptualisation of the permanent exhibiton in MRC, called “The Story of the Roma”. It presents Roma history and culture from the beginning in India until today. The permanent exhibiton is located on the first floor of the museum and it covers an area of 351 square meters.
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