Read complete books and articles on: Gypsies

Gypsies - or Gipsies [from Egypt, because of an inaccurate idea that Gypsies came from a so-called Little Egypt], a traditionally nomadic people with particular folkways and a unique language, found on every continent; they often refer to themselves as Roma. Their language, called Romany, belongs to the Indo-Iranian family and is closely related to the languages of NW India, while

In the course of their wanderings, Gypsies have occasionally mixed with non-Gypsy neighbors and have sometimes settled down, but they have clung tenaciously to their identity and customs. Their physical type has remained largely unaltered; most Gypsies are dark-complexioned, short, and lightly built. Their bands are still ruled by elders. Gypsies have usually adopted the religion of their country of residence; probably the greater number are Roman Catholic or Orthodox Eastern Christian. Each year in May they gather in S France from all over the world for a pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Gypsies usually travel in small caravans and make their living as metalworkers, singers, dancers, musicians, horse dealers, and auto mechanics. Gypsy women are famous as fortunetellers.

It is believed that they came originally from NW India, which they left for Persia in the 1st millennium a.d. Probably during their sojourn in Persia, they became divided into three main tribal divisions: the Gitanos, the Kalderash, and the Manush. Later they moved northward and westward, and are recorded as first appearing in Western Europe in the 15th cent. Alternately welcomed and persecuted by civil and religious authorities, they moved from country to country until they had spread to every part of Europe by the beginning of the 16th cent. They arrived in North America in the late 1800s.

In modern times, and especially since the beginning of the 20th cent., various nations have attempted to end their nomadic lifestyle by requiring them to register and to go to school and learn trades. Some 500,000 perished in gas chambers and concentration camps during World War II. In 1956 the Soviet Union decreed that the last wandering Gypsy bands in that country be gradually settled in places of their choice. The countries of E Europe, where the great majority of Gypsies live, adopted similar measures under Communist rule, and most Gypsies eventually found economic and social protection, if not full acceptance. However, following the fall of Communism in the early 1990s, persecution of the Gypsies arose once more in E Europe, and by the early 21st cent. most faced increased discrimination and lived in poverty.

Bibliography

See G. Borrow, The Romany Rye (1857, new ed. 1949, repr. 1959); I. H. Brown, Gypsy Fires in America (1924); Gipsy Petulengro's autobiography, A Romany Life (1935); J. Yoors, The Gypsies (1967); D. Kenrick and G. Puxon, The Destiny of Europe's Gypsies (1972); D. Mayall, Gypsie-Travellers in Nineteenth Century Society (1988); I. Fonseca, Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey (1995).

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: Gypsies

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

The Gypsies of Eastern Europe » Read Now
by David Crowe. 196 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...THE GYPSIES OF EASTERN EUROPE EDITED BY DAVID...Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Gypsies of Eastern Europe / edited by David...references and index. ISBN...
2.

The Time of the Gypsies » Read Now
by Michael Stewart. 302 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Until 1989 it was official Communist policy in eastern Europe to absorb Gypsies into the "ruling" working class. But many Gypsies fought to maintain their separate identity. This book is about the refusal of one group of Gypsies-the Rom-to abandon their way of life & accept assimilation into the...
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Until 1989 it was official Communist policy in eastern Europe to absorb Gypsies into the "ruling" working class. But many Gypsies fought to maintain their separate identity. This book is about the refusal of one group of Gypsies-the Rom-to abandon their way of life & accept assimilation into the majority population. It is a story about the sources of cultural diversity in modern industrial society & about the fear & hatred that such social & cultural difference may give rise to. The core of the book, based on eighteen months of observation of daily life in a Gypsy settlement, describes the cultivation, celebration, & reinvention of cultural difference & diversity by a people deemed by their social superiors to be too stupid & uncivilized to have a "culture" at all.
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3.

Gypsies Identities, 1500-2000: From Egyptians and Moonmen to Ethnic Romany » Read Now
by David Mayall. 313 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Gypsies have lived in England since the early 16th-century, yet considerable confusion and disagreement remain over the precise identity of the group. Amongst other things, this book attempts to answer questions such as who are the Gypsies?
4.

Construction of Roma Identity in Eastern and Central Europe: Perception and Self-Identification, in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies » Read Now
by Gyorgy Csepeli, David Simon. 22 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
5.

Gypsy and Traveller Ethnicity: The Social Generation of an Ethnic Phenomenon » Read Now
by Brian A. Belton. 214 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The book explores the notion of Gypsy and Traveller ethnicity and provides a critique of the conceptual basis of racial and ethnic categorisation. An analysis of the post-war housing situation is given in order to illustrate a connection between social and economic conditions, legislation affecting...
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The book explores the notion of Gypsy and Traveller ethnicity and provides a critique of the conceptual basis of racial and ethnic categorisation. An analysis of the post-war housing situation is given in order to illustrate a connection between social and economic conditions, legislation affecting gypsies and travellers and the visibility and general consciousness of the gypsy and traveller population. The originality of the book lies in its argument that the position of gypsies and travellers largely arises out of social conditions and interaction rather than political, biological or ideological determinants. It puts forward the notion of an ethnic narrative of traveller identity and illustrates how variations of this have been defensively deployed by some travellers and elaborated on by theorists. Belton focuses on the social generation of travellers as a cultural, ethnic and racial categorization, offering a rational explanation of the development of an itinerant population that is less ambiguous and more informative in terms of the social nature of the gypsy and traveller position than interpretations based on 'blood', 'breed', 'stock', ethnicity or race that dominate the literature.
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6.

Return to Europe? The Czech Republic and the EU's Influence on Its Treatment of Roma, in Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law » Read Now
by Matthew D. Marden. 36 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
7.

The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies » Read Now
by Guenter Lewy. 310 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Roaming the countryside in caravans, earning their living as musicians, peddlers, and fortune-tellers, the Gypsies and their elusive way of life represented an affront to Nazi ideas of social order, hard work, and racial purity. They were branded as "asocials," harassed, and eventually herded into...
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Roaming the countryside in caravans, earning their living as musicians, peddlers, and fortune-tellers, the Gypsies and their elusive way of life represented an affront to Nazi ideas of social order, hard work, and racial purity. They were branded as "asocials," harassed, and eventually herded into concentration camps where many thousands were killed. But until now the story of their persecution has either been overlooked or distorted. In The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies, Guenter Lewy draws upon thousands of documents--many never before used--from German and Austrian archives to provide the most comprehensive and accurate study available of the fate of the Gypsies under the Nazi regime. Lewy traces the escalating vilification of the Gypsies as the Nazis instigated a widespread crackdown on the "work-shy" and "itinerants." But he shows that Nazi policy towards Gypsies was confused and changeable. At first, local officials persecuted gypsies, and those who behaved in gypsy-like fashion, for allegedly anti-social tendencies. Later, with the rise of race obsession, Gypsies were seen as a threat to German racial purity, though Himmler himself wavered, trying to save those he considered "pure Gypsies" descended from Aryan roots in India. Indeed, Lewy contradicts much existing scholarship in showing that, however much the Gypsies were persecuted, there was no general program of extermination analogous to the "final solution" for the Jews. Exploring in heart-rending detail the fates of individual Gypsies and their families, The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies makes an important addition to our understanding both of the history of this mysterious people and of all facets of the Nazi terror.
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8.

National Socialism and Gypsies in Austria » Read Now
by Erika Thurner, Gilya Gerda Schmidt. 228 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Originally published in German, Erika Thurner's NATIONAL SOCIALISM AND GYPSIES IN AUSTRIA is the ground-breaking study of Nazi policy toward Gypsies during the Third Reich. The recent upsurge of anti-Gypsy violence in Austria illustrates both the horror of the treatment of Gypsy tribes and the timeliness of this volume. Illustrated.
9.

The Origins of Nazi Genocide: From Euthanasia to the Final Solution (Chap. 12 "Excluding Gypsies") » Read Now
by Henry Friedlander. 421 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, History, Entire Library

...1939-1945 7. World War, 1939-1945-- Gypsies. 8. Handicapped--Germany--History--20th...Killers , 216 12 Excluding Gypsies , 246 13 Killing Handicapped...Jews, the Nazis...
10.

Ethnic Conflict in the Post-Soviet World: Case Studies and Analysis (Chap. 16 "Living on the Edge: The East European Roma in Postcommunist Politics and Societies") » Read Now
by Leokadia Drobizheva, Rose Gottemoeller, Catherine McArdle Kelleher, Lee Walker. 365 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
11.

Liberal Nationalism in Central Europe (Chap. 2 "Reflections on Minority Rights in Central Europe") » Read Now
by Stefan Auer. 235 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

After the collapse of communism there was a widespread fear that nationalism would pose a serious threat to the development of liberal democracy in the countries of Central Europe. This book examines the role of nationalism in post-communist development in Central Europe.
12.

The Role of the Romanies: Images and 'Counter-Images' of Gypsies » Read Now
by Nicholas Saul, Susan Tebbutt. 258 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Since the arrival of the "Gypsies," or Romanies, in Europe at the beginning of the eleventh century, Europeans have simultaneously feared and romanticized them. That ambiguity has contributed to centuries of confusion over the origins, culture, and identity of the Romanies, a confusion that too...
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Since the arrival of the "Gypsies," or Romanies, in Europe at the beginning of the eleventh century, Europeans have simultaneously feared and romanticized them. That ambiguity has contributed to centuries of confusion over the origins, culture, and identity of the Romanies, a confusion that too often has resulted in marginalization, persecution, and scapegoating. The Role of the Romanies brings together international experts on Romany culture from the fields of history, sociology, linguistics, and anthropology to address the many questions and problems raised by the vexed relationship between Romany and European cultures. The book's first section considers the genesis, development, and scope of the field of Romany studies, while the second part expands from there to consider constructions of Romany culture and identity. Part three focuses on twentieth-century literary representations of Romany life, while the final part considers how the role of the Romanies will ultimately be remembered and recorded. Together, the essays provide an absorbing portrait of a frequently misunderstood people.
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13.

Creative Ethnicity: Symbols and Strategies of Contemporary Ethnic Life (Chap. 7 "Strategies of Ethnic Adaptation: The Case of Gypsies in the United States") » Read Now
by Stephen Stern, John Allan Cicala. 242 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...points out how masking value conflicts affords Gypsies opportunities to blend into American society...by Carol Silverman in her study of American Gypsies. Contrary to the...
14.

Refugees or Migrants?: The Roma of Eastern Europe, in Harvard International Review » Read Now
by Anna Franekova. 3 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...British asylum laws in 1997, hundreds of Gypsies entered Britain asking for recognition...Eastern Europe into question. Although Gypsies do face discrimination within their...
15.

Myths of the Czech Gypsies, in Asian Folklore Studies » Read Now
by Nina Pavelcik, Jiri Pavelcik. 10 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...Myths of the Czech Gypsies. by NINA PAVELCIK , JIRI...on record were long preserved in the Gypsies oral traditions. On the basis of the...be determined. Keywords: European...
16.

Negotiating "Gypsiness" Strategy in Context, in Journal of American Folk-lore » Read Now
by Carol Silverman. 15 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...Gypsy ethnicity is examined, that is, how Gypsies cultivate a distinct ethnic identity while...culture but a rich storehouse from which Gypsies creatively draw, adopt, and...