The Romani Gypsies

Who are the Romani people? -- Romani society -- Customs and traditions -- The Romani language -- The Roms among the nations -- Between romanticism and racism -- A modern Romani identity -- Appendix: The mosaic of Romani groups.

The author, himself a Romani, speaks directly to the gadze (non-Gypsy) reader about his people, their history since leaving India one thousand years ago and their rejection and exclusion from society in the countries where they settled, their health, food, culture and society.

For centuries Romani Gypsies have been seen either as romantic nomads, or as unwanted outsiders. Who are they, really? Linguist Yaron Matras, who has spent years working with the Roma, gives the first comprehensive account of their culture, language and history, shattering the myths that surround them. 'Absorbing . . . almost everything we imagine we know about Gypsies is wrong.' Margarette Driscoll, Sunday Times 'Fascinating, compassionate and knowledgeable . . . Yaron Matras is an authority.' Melanie McDonagh, Evening Standard 'An ancient and rich culture, immaculately researched.' Peter Stanford, Observer 'Romani history is unseen and unrecognised. Matras synthesises what facts we have to create a visible, compelling record.' David Morley, Independent

America has always been a land of fascinating cultural diversity. From the extremely wide range of cultural groups on the American scene today, Gypsies, or Roma, are among the most extraordinarily elusive and complex. For more than forty-five years, social scientist Anne Sutherland has researched and objectively written about the American Roma worldview. She honed traditional research methods to study the Roma, who normally obscure the truth about themselves to outsiders, dispelling centuries of misinterpretation, bias, and romanticism that have led to discrimination. In this latest work, Roma: Modern American Gypsies, she succinctly portrays their twenty-first-century lives and identifies how their realities have been shaped by global processes and agents of power. Throughout complex stages of change and adaptation, Sutherland concludes, Gypsies have managed to retain, not lose, their identity. Ideal for classes in introductory sociology and cultural anthropology, Roma is also an excellent supplement in courses on ethnicity, immigration, and American culture since Gypsy culture also vividly illustrates the strength of ethnic boundaries, the channeling of interethnic relations, subcultural differentiation, and adaptation.

This illustrated text traces the origin of the Gypsies in India and their journey westward to their arrival on the shores of the Thames. It also looks at their distant relatives who stayed in India or dropped off on the way west and who carry on a nomadic life in Persia and neighbouring countries

Gypsy history and life. Professionals working with Gypsies and migrant Roma from the CEE will also find it invaluable."--BOOK JACKET.

A thousand years ago, a group of people who later became the Romanies were driven out of northern India by an invading army. This group then took to traveling the world, adopting words, cultural customs, and religious beliefs from the people they encountered. Romani authors Hristo Kyuchukov and Ian Hancock explain why Gypsy is a scornful name and why they prefer to be called Romanies.

Overview of the Roma/Gypy community and its history of discrimination and persecution in Europe, analyzing the various policies adopted during the 600 years since the Roma/Gypsies first migrated to Europe. The report examines specific areas where the Roma/Gypsy community as a whole currently faces difficulties, like disadvantage and discrimination in employment, housing, health, education and vocational opportunities.

The Roma presence in the European part of the Ottoman Empire - the Balkans - is centuries old and it is not by accident that this regions has often been called the second motherland of the Gypsies. From this region Gypsies moved westwards taking with them inherited Balkan cultural models and traditions. This book explores the history, ethnography, social structure and culture of the Gypsies in the Ottoman Empire. It is based on archival sources, mainly detailed tax registers, special laws, guild registers and court documents. Notes on Gypsies in books by foreign travellers are also included.

There are some seven million gypsies in Europe, an often mythologized people in the past. But now they represent a new political force, both in eastern Europe and as a new westward migration begins.The Historical Dictionary of the Gypsies (Romanies) provides a wealth of definite, factual information about this people, and their unique culture.