Since the first piece of legislation was passed against 'Egyptians‘ (Romany Gypsies) by Henry... more Since the first piece of legislation was passed against 'Egyptians‘ (Romany Gypsies) by Henry VIII in the 1500‘s, Gypsies and other Travellers have had a complex and difficult relationship with the state. For the last five centuries a seemingly unending list of laws have been drawn up to ban, restrict and criminalize them for their way of life, with apparently little recourse to the more universal laws that are supposed to ensure equality and dignity to all. Despite this, they have thrived amongst us, enriching our culture and society through their resilience, tenacity and humor in the face of adversity and exclusion. Perhaps most striking of all is their continued courage and strength against the unrelenting machinery of state in standing up for what they believe in. Once again, Gypsy Roma Traveller face new changes in the law that will affect them directly, forcing them to engage yet again in a campaign to ensure their basic rights are protected. The Travellers Aid Trust has a...
abandonment of the idea of a national model (141). As this review has been trying to emphasize, t... more abandonment of the idea of a national model (141). As this review has been trying to emphasize, the book is very handy in an attempt to comprehend an overall picture of the study of migration and its relation to the liberal state. There is a slight Europe-centricity in that experiences of European countries are often focused on and perhaps the absence of the discussion of the welfare state as a form of the liberal state is a little puzzling. A relatively heavier focus on Europe is entirely justifiable due to socio-historical contingency such as the development of the European Union and the European countries’ transition from a sending to a receiving country. Welfare is discussed in various chapters, but the idea of the welfare state is not dealt with directly; perhaps this is because the welfare state is judged to be a classification not of the same order of the liberal state.
Thomas Acton (born 1948) switched his academic ambition from the philosophy of religion at Oxford... more Thomas Acton (born 1948) switched his academic ambition from the philosophy of religion at Oxford to Gypsy politics when he was recruited as a student to run the first Gypsy Council caravan summer school for children on an illegal encampment on a disused airfield in 1967. He was an administrative assistant at the first World Romani Congress in 1971, finished a doctorate on Romani Studies, and became a university sociology teacher by default. He was appointed the first professor of Romani Studies at the University of Greenwich in 1997. He has been secretary of the UK Gypsy Council 3 times, is currently secretary of the international Gypsy Lore Society, and of the Brentwood Gypsy Support Group where he lives, and is patron of the London Roma Support Group. **************************** His lecture will draw the lessons of his experience of curating the "Second Site" exhibition at the University of Greenwich in 2006, taking that on tour, working with Daniel Baker, Delaine LeBa...
As briefings from the World Bank (2015), show, the illusion that ethnic demography should, and mi... more As briefings from the World Bank (2015), show, the illusion that ethnic demography should, and might one day, produce simple stable and reliable enumerations of ethnic groups is slow in dying despite its virtual demolition by the work of Simpson and Akinwale (2004, 2007). Even Simpson's (2014) reiteration after the addition of 2011 census data to the Longitudinal Survey, showing that ethnic identification is profoundly and significantly unstable has failed to make any broad impact on the policy understandings of the United Kingdom. 1 The persistence of the intellectual habits inherited from the era of scientific racism (Acton 2016
Romani in Britain: The Afterlife of a Language. Yaron Matras. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Pre... more Romani in Britain: The Afterlife of a Language. Yaron Matras. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2010. 255 +xvpp. ISBN 978-0-7486-3904-5-9 (hbk.) Reviewed by Thomas A. Acton This is the most important study of EngUsh Romanes for a quarter of a century, a major empirical offering in the meagre corpus of Uterature on this Unguistic phenomenon, and a theoreticaUy tantaUsing discussion of the question which has vexed EngUsh Romani Studies for more than a century as to what EngUsh Romanes actuaUy is. Is it a language in its own right, a dialect of Romani massively overlain by EngUsh (cf. Hancock 1984), or a dialect of EngUsh influenced by Romani, or a kind of creole? Or if not actuaUy technicaUy a creole, some other kind of contact language like other 'para-Romani' dialects, such as southern-Spanish Calo, which Matras previously (2002: 243) presented as an unproblematic category, in the tradition of Bakker and Cortiade (1991)? Oris it not a language at aU, but a register or s...
This volume hopes to act as a catalyst for some new and exciting areas of enquiry in the more “li... more This volume hopes to act as a catalyst for some new and exciting areas of enquiry in the more “liminal” interstices of Irish Studies. Traveller Studies, Romani Studies and Diaspora and Migration Studies. These disciplines are all relatively new areas of enquiry in modern Ireland, a country whose society has witnessed very rapid and wide-ranging cultural and demographic change within the short space of a decade. The issue of multiculturalism is not one which is particularly new to Irish society as a number of contributors to this volume point out. What is new however is an increased acknowledgement of diversity and multiculturalism in Ireland and Europe as a whole. Such an acknowledgement makes increased dialogue between “mainstream” society, older minorities such as the Irish Travellers and the many newer immigrant communities such as the Roma all the more necessary. For such constructive dialogue to take place it is vital that the voices of Travellers and Roma are listened to and that their distinctive worldview be given due acknowledgement and respect. It is hoped that this volume will go some way towards the development of such a process.
Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations Series Series Editor: Maykel Verkuyten, ERCOMER Utrech... more Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations Series Series Editor: Maykel Verkuyten, ERCOMER Utrecht University The Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations Series is a joint series of the Danish Centre for Migration and Ethnic Studies, University of Southern Denmark; the ...
Drawing on their recent research project for the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the aut... more Drawing on their recent research project for the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the authors will discuss the way in which increasing international NGO activity has sought to identify and advance the the cause of Roma/Gypsy/Traveller groups in Turkey, and how these efforts interact with the groups’ own sense of their identity and interests. Reporting on the development of formal organisations, they will argue that the legacy of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires has left not only a distinctive network of Rom, Dom and other groups perceived as Cingene, but different understandings of how identity is constituted within complex social relations, which mean that great caution must be exercised in using policy or ethnicity models derived from central and western Europe. Nonetheless a more accurate overview of the populations involved is required, and the authors will try to provide a prelimary sketch.
International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2000
A research project carried out by G. Davies, on differences between Gypsy and non-Gypsy children ... more A research project carried out by G. Davies, on differences between Gypsy and non-Gypsy children in their use of English, is set into the context of a general account of educational policy with respect to language pertaining to British Gypsies or Travellers, both in connection with English ...
Since the first piece of legislation was passed against 'Egyptians‘ (Romany Gypsies) by Henry... more Since the first piece of legislation was passed against 'Egyptians‘ (Romany Gypsies) by Henry VIII in the 1500‘s, Gypsies and other Travellers have had a complex and difficult relationship with the state. For the last five centuries a seemingly unending list of laws have been drawn up to ban, restrict and criminalize them for their way of life, with apparently little recourse to the more universal laws that are supposed to ensure equality and dignity to all. Despite this, they have thrived amongst us, enriching our culture and society through their resilience, tenacity and humor in the face of adversity and exclusion. Perhaps most striking of all is their continued courage and strength against the unrelenting machinery of state in standing up for what they believe in. Once again, Gypsy Roma Traveller face new changes in the law that will affect them directly, forcing them to engage yet again in a campaign to ensure their basic rights are protected. The Travellers Aid Trust has a...
abandonment of the idea of a national model (141). As this review has been trying to emphasize, t... more abandonment of the idea of a national model (141). As this review has been trying to emphasize, the book is very handy in an attempt to comprehend an overall picture of the study of migration and its relation to the liberal state. There is a slight Europe-centricity in that experiences of European countries are often focused on and perhaps the absence of the discussion of the welfare state as a form of the liberal state is a little puzzling. A relatively heavier focus on Europe is entirely justifiable due to socio-historical contingency such as the development of the European Union and the European countries’ transition from a sending to a receiving country. Welfare is discussed in various chapters, but the idea of the welfare state is not dealt with directly; perhaps this is because the welfare state is judged to be a classification not of the same order of the liberal state.
Thomas Acton (born 1948) switched his academic ambition from the philosophy of religion at Oxford... more Thomas Acton (born 1948) switched his academic ambition from the philosophy of religion at Oxford to Gypsy politics when he was recruited as a student to run the first Gypsy Council caravan summer school for children on an illegal encampment on a disused airfield in 1967. He was an administrative assistant at the first World Romani Congress in 1971, finished a doctorate on Romani Studies, and became a university sociology teacher by default. He was appointed the first professor of Romani Studies at the University of Greenwich in 1997. He has been secretary of the UK Gypsy Council 3 times, is currently secretary of the international Gypsy Lore Society, and of the Brentwood Gypsy Support Group where he lives, and is patron of the London Roma Support Group. **************************** His lecture will draw the lessons of his experience of curating the "Second Site" exhibition at the University of Greenwich in 2006, taking that on tour, working with Daniel Baker, Delaine LeBa...
As briefings from the World Bank (2015), show, the illusion that ethnic demography should, and mi... more As briefings from the World Bank (2015), show, the illusion that ethnic demography should, and might one day, produce simple stable and reliable enumerations of ethnic groups is slow in dying despite its virtual demolition by the work of Simpson and Akinwale (2004, 2007). Even Simpson's (2014) reiteration after the addition of 2011 census data to the Longitudinal Survey, showing that ethnic identification is profoundly and significantly unstable has failed to make any broad impact on the policy understandings of the United Kingdom. 1 The persistence of the intellectual habits inherited from the era of scientific racism (Acton 2016
Romani in Britain: The Afterlife of a Language. Yaron Matras. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Pre... more Romani in Britain: The Afterlife of a Language. Yaron Matras. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2010. 255 +xvpp. ISBN 978-0-7486-3904-5-9 (hbk.) Reviewed by Thomas A. Acton This is the most important study of EngUsh Romanes for a quarter of a century, a major empirical offering in the meagre corpus of Uterature on this Unguistic phenomenon, and a theoreticaUy tantaUsing discussion of the question which has vexed EngUsh Romani Studies for more than a century as to what EngUsh Romanes actuaUy is. Is it a language in its own right, a dialect of Romani massively overlain by EngUsh (cf. Hancock 1984), or a dialect of EngUsh influenced by Romani, or a kind of creole? Or if not actuaUy technicaUy a creole, some other kind of contact language like other 'para-Romani' dialects, such as southern-Spanish Calo, which Matras previously (2002: 243) presented as an unproblematic category, in the tradition of Bakker and Cortiade (1991)? Oris it not a language at aU, but a register or s...
This volume hopes to act as a catalyst for some new and exciting areas of enquiry in the more “li... more This volume hopes to act as a catalyst for some new and exciting areas of enquiry in the more “liminal” interstices of Irish Studies. Traveller Studies, Romani Studies and Diaspora and Migration Studies. These disciplines are all relatively new areas of enquiry in modern Ireland, a country whose society has witnessed very rapid and wide-ranging cultural and demographic change within the short space of a decade. The issue of multiculturalism is not one which is particularly new to Irish society as a number of contributors to this volume point out. What is new however is an increased acknowledgement of diversity and multiculturalism in Ireland and Europe as a whole. Such an acknowledgement makes increased dialogue between “mainstream” society, older minorities such as the Irish Travellers and the many newer immigrant communities such as the Roma all the more necessary. For such constructive dialogue to take place it is vital that the voices of Travellers and Roma are listened to and that their distinctive worldview be given due acknowledgement and respect. It is hoped that this volume will go some way towards the development of such a process.
Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations Series Series Editor: Maykel Verkuyten, ERCOMER Utrech... more Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations Series Series Editor: Maykel Verkuyten, ERCOMER Utrecht University The Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations Series is a joint series of the Danish Centre for Migration and Ethnic Studies, University of Southern Denmark; the ...
Drawing on their recent research project for the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the aut... more Drawing on their recent research project for the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the authors will discuss the way in which increasing international NGO activity has sought to identify and advance the the cause of Roma/Gypsy/Traveller groups in Turkey, and how these efforts interact with the groups’ own sense of their identity and interests. Reporting on the development of formal organisations, they will argue that the legacy of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires has left not only a distinctive network of Rom, Dom and other groups perceived as Cingene, but different understandings of how identity is constituted within complex social relations, which mean that great caution must be exercised in using policy or ethnicity models derived from central and western Europe. Nonetheless a more accurate overview of the populations involved is required, and the authors will try to provide a prelimary sketch.
International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2000
A research project carried out by G. Davies, on differences between Gypsy and non-Gypsy children ... more A research project carried out by G. Davies, on differences between Gypsy and non-Gypsy children in their use of English, is set into the context of a general account of educational policy with respect to language pertaining to British Gypsies or Travellers, both in connection with English ...
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