Cultural Intersections: The Life Story of a Roma Cultural Mediator

Abstract

The article presents the life story of a young Roma cultural mediator who narrates (1) her life and professional decisions, still rather uncommon among young Roma women, and (2) the impact of her education and work experiences and achievements on her self perception. The narratives, from which the life story emerges, express the young Roma's efforts to interweave two different cultural perspectives; furthermore they emphasize how cultural diversity can be a way to be and to relate to others. The life story is told as a personal project negotiated between the Roma and the Gagé cultural heritages; the cultural constraints within and without cultural boundaries are highlighted, while character traits and imagination are presented as the main turning points in the young woman's life.