This chapter examines antigypsyism as a distinct form of racism that has shaped Roma experiences across Europe for centuries. Despite Roma being targets of genocide and persistent discrimination, academic research on anti-Roma racism has been surprisingly limited. This introduction explores why antigypsyism matters as an analytical concept, tracing its historical development from early exoticized depictions through scientific racism to contemporary manifestations. The chapter addresses ongoing debates around terminology—antigypsyism, Romaphobia, anti-Romism, anti-Roma racism—and argues for understanding this racism as operating through specific mechanisms: assumptions of inferiority, criminality, nomadism, and backwardness that justify domination. Unlike other forms of racism, antigypsyism is deeply normalized in social imaginaries, often operating without explicit documentation or ideological justification. The state’s role in producing and reproducing anti-Roma racism remains central. It serves as the introduction to a volume that draws on empirical research across multiple countries. The contributors examine how antigypsyism manifests in academia, policing, education, media, and policy. The volume calls for Romani Studies to become an explicitly antiracist field that centers Roma voices in knowledge production. Through critical historiographies and theoretical reflections, it offers scholars and policymakers tools for understanding how this particular form of racism persists across different political systems and historical periods.