INTERDISCIPLINARY ANTROPOLIC EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR-GENETIC RESEARCH OF ROMA IN CROATIA

ABOUT THE ROMA

The Roma are a nation without a state. They are present as a transnational minority in many countries of the world. Originally from India, the Roma came to Europe around 11th century after a long migration through central Asia (Fraser 1992). During this journey, they maintained their culture and remained socially and culturally, as well as genetically, isolated from the surrounding majority populations. Today they comprise a mosaic of many Romani groups that differentiate between each other in their socio-cultural characteristics, including the languages they use and the religion they practice (Kalaydjijeva et al. 2004).
In order to explain the genetic differences between many different Romani groups, which have been confirmed by the most recent molecular-genetic methods, it is of extreme importance to know the historical background that brought the Romani nation to Europe, as well as the social organization that kept them isolated from the surrounding nations throughout history.

EVERY PROJECT INCLUDES

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Project title

Principal investigator

Associates

Summary

CURRENT PROJECT

Project title:

• Impact of ancestry and isolation on ADME genes: the Roma example

Principal investigator:    

• Marijana Peričić Salihović, PhD, INSTITUTE FOR ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Associates:     

• Branka Janićijević, PhD, Institute for Anthropological Research
• Nina Smolej Narančić, PhD, Institute for Anthropological Research
• Tatjana Škarić Jurić, PhD, Institute for Anthropological Research
• Nada Božina, PhD, KBC Zagreb
• Matea Zajc Petranović, PhD, Institute for Anthropological Research
• Ana Barešić, PhD
• Željka Tomas, PhD, Institute for Anthropological Research

Croatian Science Foundation  – CSF Research Projects, IP – 2014 – 09 – 4454

Genetic diversity of present-day populations reflects the historical, demographic and evolutionary events. Genetic specificities are especially present in isolated populations in which the gene flow is minimal (Jewish populations, the Saami, the Roma, Bask and Croatian island isolates) and rare or private mutations are more frequent.