Gypsy society, for millennia traditionally nomadic, and having a tightly knit social structure with a most natural communication system, was convulsively rocked in the years following World War One as they were taking to settle in American cities. A handful of certain gifted, but dedicated and God-fearing individuals among them, rose to save their people from destruction, from certain dangerously power hungry aspiring dictators. As a cultural dictum, "There can be no Gypsy of fame," so these saving heroes were allowed to fade away, never to be remembered, and never to be deified, as true Gypsies incognito to history, only the Lord being their Judge.

This book, first published in 1974, analyses the position of the Gypsies in Britain in the twentieth century, and assesses its significance in their overall history. Two dramatic shifts in Government policy towards the Gypsies are examined – in the 1880s and the 1960s – as are the changes in the stereotype of the ‘true Gypsy’. Dr Acton traces the developments of attitudes and economic conditions that gave rise to the 1970s increase in interest in Gypsies, and discusses the concomitant political and pressure group activity. He gives an account of the historical background to modern Gypsy politics; describes the postwar situation of the Gypsies in England and Wales, including pro-Gypsy pressure group activity up to 1965, and goes on to cover the campaigns of the Gypsy Council, including a sociological assessment of its work. He considers these aspects of Gypsy life in the light of modern sociological theory on minorities and race relations.

The A to Z of the Gypsies (Romanies) seeks to end such prejudice by clarifying the facts about this nomadic people. Through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, places, events, institutions, and aspects of culture, society, economy, and politics, the history of the Gypsies and their culture is told.

Over the past decade, interest in Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT) has risen up the political and media agendas, but they remain relatively unknown. This topical book is the first to chart the history and contemporary developments in GRT community activism, and the community and voluntary organisations and coalitions which support it. Underpinned by radical community development and equality theories, it describes the communities' struggle for rights against a backdrop of intense intersectional discrimination across Europe, and critiques the ambivalent role of community development in fostering these campaigns. Much of it co-written by community activists, it is a vehicle for otherwise marginalised voices, and an essential resource and inspiration for practitioners, lecturers, researchers and members of GRT communities.

Gypsies have lived in England since the early sixteenth century, yet considerable confusion and disagreement remain over the precise identity of the group. The question 'Who are the Gypsies?' is still asked and the debates about the positioning and permanence of the boundary between Gypsy and non-Gypsy are contested as fiercely today as at any time before. This study locates these debates in their historical perspective, tracing the origins and reproduction of the various ways of defining and representing the Gypsy from the early sixteenth century to the present day. Starting with a consideration of the early modern description of Gypsies as Egyptians, land pirates and vagabonds, the volume goes on to examine the racial classification of the nineteenth century and the emergence of the ethnic Gypsy in the twentieth century. The book closes with an exploration of the long-lasting image of the group as vagrant and parasitic nuisances which spans the whole period from 1500 to 2000.

The Committee's report examines the provision and management of Gypsy and Traveller sites within England, focusing on the following aspects: current provision and location of sites; demand for, and use of sites; existing funding arrangements; the Gypsy Site Refurbishment Grant scheme; site characteristics and facilities; management of unauthorised camping; and ODPM statistical information on caravans, sites and families. The Committee's report notes the contradictory views held about Gypsies and Travellers, and the public opposition to their encampment in local areas for fear, whether real or not, of crime and anti-social behaviour. In light of this, the report seeks to assess the extent of problems faced both by Gypsies and Travellers and the settled community, and suggests ways to reduce the conflict, misery and nuisance being caused. Recommendations made include, due to the lack of sites available, that the Government should re-introduce a statutory requirement for local authorities to provide suitable accommodation, based on an assessment of need at regional level, and funded through a capital grant.

The first monograph to be published on Gypsies in Britain using the perspective of social anthropology.

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.

Gypsy society, for millennia traditionally nomadic, and having a tightly knit social structure with a most natural communication system, was convulsively rocked in the years following World War One as they were taking to settle in American cities. A handful of certain gifted, but dedicated and God-fearing individuals among them, rose to save their people from destruction, from certain dangerously power hungry aspiring dictators. As a cultural dictum, There can be no Gypsy of fame, so these saving heroes were allowed to fade away, never to be remembered, and never to be deified, as true Gypsies incognito to history, only the Lord being their Judge.

Romany culture is perhaps the most Indo-European of all. The ancestors of the Gypsies left India around 1000 years ago and mixed with every culture on the way to produce a variety of Romany dialects and well-known cultural achievements from Hungarian Gypsy music to the English Gypsy caravan. Such images somehow co-exist, however, with continuous persecution.