He had been studying piano until the age of 20 due to his intention to become a professional pianist, but later on his interests widened to social sciences and he began to study history, sociology, political science, journalism and law as part of his higher education.

During his studies he worked as an accompanist, taught history and music in primary and secondary schools, and was a high school dormitory teacher too. He later worked as a journalist and in the meantime proved himself as a legal adviser of a civil rights organization.

He is a founding member of the Ethnic and National Minority Research Institute at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and also lead its Romology research group for a five years. Form 2007-2014 he was the Parliamentary Commissioner for Ethnic and National Minority Rights in Hungary

Today he is a college professor and university lecturer, and he also works as a fellow researcher in the Institute of Minority Studies at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, where he is the head of the Department of Roma Studies too.

He has been leading and participating in several research projects. He published nearly 150 different scientific papers and held approximately 180 scientific presentations in the last 2 decades.

His main objective is to give a scientific-analytical description about the  Hungarian ethnic communities, and within, his special research field is the social situation of the Roma communities in Hungary.

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SELECTION OF ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH

ENGLISH BOOKS

Kállai, Ernő (ed.): The Gypsies / The Roma in Hungarian Society. Budapest: Teleki László Foundation, 2002. 177 p.

Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report between 2002 and 2006: The Age of Reorganization. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2006. 165 p.

Kállai Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2004: Stagnation. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2005. 163 p.

Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2003: Illusory politiocs and standidng still. Budapest: Európai Összehasonlító Kisebbségkutatások Közalapítvány (EÖKIK), 2004. 218 p.

Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2002: A year of changes, promises and expectations. Budapest: Európai Összehasonlító Kisebbségkutatások Közalapítvány (EÖKIK), 2003. 100 p.

Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Budapest: Európai Összehasonlító Kisebbségkutatások Közalapítvány (EÖKIK), 2000. 99 p.

Kállai, Ernő: Report on the activity of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities 2009. Budapest: OPC, 2010. 119 p.

Kállai, Ernő: Report on the activity of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities 2008. Budapest: OPC, 2009. 128 p.

Kállai, Ernő: Report on the activity of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities 2007. Budapest: OPC, 2008. 123 p.

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ENGLISH PAPERS

Kállai, Ernő: Legislation and Government Programs Relating to the Roma Population in Hungary since the Political Changes of 1989–90. In: Kemény, István (ed.): Roma of Hungary. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. 288–334. p.

Kállai, Ernő: Magaura Roma. Roma Enterpreneurs in 1998. In: Kemény, István (ed.): Roma of Hungary. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. 247–272. p.

Kállai, Ernő: Gypsy Musicians. In: Kováts, András (ed.): Roma Migration. Budapest: MTA Kisebbségkutató Intézet–Nemzetközi Migrációs és Menekültügyi Kutatóközpont, 2002. 75– 96. p.

Kállai, Ernő: The Hungarian Roma Population During the Last-Half Century. In: Kállai, Ernő (ed.): The Gypsies/The Roma in Hungarian Society. Budapest: Teleki László Foundation, 2002. 35–50. p.

Kállai, Ernő: The government’s Roma policy in the past four years. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report between 2002 and 2006:The Age of Reorganization. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2006. 148–165. p.

Kállai, Ernő: A chronological digest of events affecting the Roma of Hungary in 2002– 2006. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report between 2002 and 2006. The Age of Reorganization. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2006. 13–58. p.

Kállai, Ernő: Some Experience about the Operation of Local Roma Self-governments in Hungary. „… I pull the cart and they push it, if necessary …” In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2004: Stagnation. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2005. 137– 163. p.

Kállai, Ernő: A chronological digest of events affecting the Roma of Hungary in 2004. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2004:Stagnation. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2005. 9–45. p.

Kállai, Ernő: Events in Government, Politics and Society. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2003: Illusory Politics and Standing Still. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2004. 138–144. p.

Kállai, Ernő: A chronological digest of events affecting the Roma of Hungary in 2003. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2003: Illusory Politics and Standing Still. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2004. 11–43. p.

Kállai, Ernő: Government initiatives in 2002: a year of elections, changes and expectations. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2002: A Year of Changes, Promises and Expectations. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2003.106–113. p.

Kállai, Ernő: A chronological digest of events affecting the Roma of Hungary in 2002. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2002: A Year of Changes, Promises and Expectations. Budapest: EÖKIK, 2003. 9–32. p.

Kállai, Ernő: History of the Gypsies from 1945 to the 1989 change in régime. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika. (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2000. Budapest: EÖKIP, 2000. 13– 20. p.

Kállai, Ernő: Legislative and policy initiatives. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2000. Budapest: EÖKIP, 2000. 79 – 86. p.

Kállai, Ernő: Music. In: Kállai, Ernő – Törzsök, Erika (eds.): A Roma’s Life in Hungary. Report 2000. Budapest: EÖKIP, 2000. 72–75. p.