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 Romaniesbrings 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.

This volume is an exploration of the image that is the Traveller/Gypsy, the nomad, the migrant and the outsider/“Other” within the frames of articulation that are the present-day flows of cultural diaspora and mass globalisation. Mass-media dissemination and the combination of a range of complex social and cultural forces and movements have all served to rupture and blurr the borders of the post-Enlightenment, modern nation-state. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of postcolonial diasporas such as Travellers, Roma and other “traditionally” nomadic groups, groups whose migrations have served to accelerate the reconfiguring of (hitherto) dominant cultural narratives. This book explores the manner whereby the migrant experience as relating to Ireland and as relating to Irish Travellers and Roma has been analysed and represented. While the essays in this volume have a particular focus on the experiences of Irish migrants and the people sometimes referred to as the “old Irish” or the “new Irish”, they also have a strong resonance with other recent explorations of the hybrid and diverse discourses that are the narratives of many Western countries today.