Pamięć, trauma i tożsamość „narodu z popiołów” i innych narodów. Implikacje badania Romów dla teorii socjologicznej (recenzja z: Sławomir Kapralski. Naród z popiołów. Pamięć zagłady i tożsamość Romów

This essay reviews the exceptional and outstanding, interdisciplinary book by Sławomir Kapralski, Naród z popiołów: Pamięć zagłady a tożsamość Romów [Nation out of the Ashes: The Memory of Destruction and the Identity of the Romani] against the background of literature in memory studies. It outlines the structure and composition of the book and focuses on the author’s most important propositions in sociological theory. The following propositions are presented and critically reviewed: creative reconstruction and synthesis of identity theories, redefinition of the notion of social memory, general conception and general theory of memory, middle range theory of memory production, and conception of the role of trauma in relation to memory and identity. These propositions, although they require further refinement, amendment or reformulation, are considered an immensely important contribution to sociological theory. The conceptions and theories about the relations between memory, trauma and identity that have grown out of the study of the Romani are also applicable to other collectivities.