This is the first interdisciplinary collection to analyse the place of Romanies and Travellers within contemporary Europe through the lens of gender and violence. In hospitals, schools, and social assistance centres; in encounters with humanitarian agencies and the police; and in media and state representations, violence against Romanies and Travellers is always gendered. The contributors disentangle the array of relations, expectations, and beliefs that make gendered violences against Romanies and Travellers appear necessary, unavoidable, or appropriate. They examine forms of gendered violence that may develop within Romani and Traveller communities against this framework of oppression and attrition. The volume foregrounds the methodological and ethical challenges involved in researching gendered violences in Romani and Traveller contexts, questioning the relationships between gender, violence, and other experiences and concepts such as marginalisation, oppression, exclusion, harm, slow death, social suffering, and necropolitics. The volume is grounded in reflexive feminist standpoints with a collaborative ethos that offers proposals for further analysis, policy development, and engaged practice. It contributes to the theorising of gendered violence in the social sciences by assessing dominant models and perspectives in the light of overlooked Romani and Traveller experiences, and is particularly relevant to scholars from anthropology, gender studies, sociology, and social work.

"This is the first interdisciplinary collection to analyse the place of Romanies and Travellers within contemporary Europe through the lens of gender and violence. In hospitals, schools and social assistance centres, in encounters with humanitarian agencies and the police, and in media and state representations, violence against Romanies and Travellers is always gendered. The contributors disentangle the array of relations, expectations and beliefs that make gendered violences against Romanies and Travellers appear necessary, unavoidable, or appropriate. They examine forms of gendered violence that may develop within Romani and Traveller communities against this framework of oppression and attrition. The volume foregrounds the methodological and ethical challenges involved in researching gendered violences in Romani and Traveller contexts, questioning the relationships between gender, violence and other experiences and concepts such as marginalisation, oppression, exclusion, harm, slow death, social suffering and necropolitics. The volume is grounded in reflexive feminist standpoints with a collaborative ethos that offers proposals for further analysis, policy development and engaged practice. It contributes to the theorising of gendered violence in the social sciences by assessing dominant models and perspectives in the light of overlooked Romani and Traveller experiences, and is particularly relevant to scholars from anthropology, gender studies, sociology, and social work"--

The son of a Romany Gypsy champion bareknuckle boxer shares the story of his upbringing in England, his realization of his sexual orientation, and how his circumstances were shaped by his culture's absolute beliefs.

Clumsy stereotypes of the Romani and Travellers communities abound, not only culturally in programmes such as Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, but also amongst educators, social workers, administrators and the medical profession. Gypsy cultures are invariably presented as ruled by tradition and machismo. Women are presented as helpless victims, especially when it comes to gendered forms of violence. The reality, however, is much more complicated. In Gypsy Feminism, Laura Corradi demonstrates how Romaphobia – racist and anti-Gypsy rhetoric and prejudice, pervading every level of society – has led to a situation where Romani communities face multiple discrimination. In this context, the empowerment of women and girls becomes still more difficult: until recently, for example, women have largely remained silent about domestic violence in order to protect their communities, which are already under attack. Examining feminist research and action within Romani communities, Corradi demonstrates the importance of an intersectional approach in order to make visible the combination of racism and sexism that Gypsy women face every day. This concise and authoritative book will appeal to scholars and students in the areas of Sociology, Cultural Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies and Anthropology, as well as Politics, Media Studies, Social Policy, and Social Work. It is also an invaluable resource for activists, community and social service workers, and policymakers.

Essential reading for those who want to develop greater knowledge and awareness of the history, culture and lifestyles of GRT people. There are many misconceptions about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the UK and Ireland. Little is understood of their culture and they are often marginalised by society. This book dispels many of the myths and gives a compassionate and empathetic view of the daily struggles they face including discrimination, racism and poverty. It also reviews criticisms directed at them and determines whether these are justified. Services are analysed to establish what works and what is weak. Packed with expert opinions from professionals working in the field and case studies and vignettes, garnered from personal interviews by the author with GRT people. Drawing from a wide range of perspectives from both inside and outside the respective communities, this book provides readers with all the key elements required to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of these remarkable communities and their cultures.

Through a wide range of international and interdisciplinary case studies, this book develops the notion of legacy, and in particular, ‘living legacy’– that is, it explores power relations in the context of time as a means to considering and challenging social injustice. Legacies of social injustice are very frequently erased, denied or declared redundant. Framed by the concept of ‘legacy’, this book does not conceive legacy as simply referring to relics of the past, or to cultural heritage practices and artifacts. Instead, the book focuses upon ‘living legacies’, understood as ongoing, actively engaged in the re-constitution of power relations, and influential in the development of alternative political imaginaries. Through a variety of studies from many different contexts—including Indigenous trauma in Australia, displacement in Beirut, women travellers in Scotland, and heteronormativity in Hollywood—the book draws not only upon historiographic, sociological, legal, political, cultural and other disciplinary approaches, but also specifically makes use of feminist and postcolonial perspectives. Foregrounding the legacies of inequality and marginalisation, it contributes to a re-thinking of power and social change in ways that together suggest potential means for unsettling and reimagining such legacies. This book will appeal to an interdisciplinary range of readers with interests and concerns in the broad area of social justice, but especially to those working in sociolegal studies, sociology, gender studies, indigenous studies and politics.

The shocking poignant story of eviction, expulsion, and the hard-scrabble fight for a home They are reviled. For centuries the Roma have wandered Europe; during the Holocaust half a million were killed. After World War II and during the Troubles, a wave of Irish Travellers moved to England to make a better, safer life. They found places to settle down – but then, as Occupy was taking over Wall Street and London, the vocal Dale Farm community in Essex was evicted from their land. Many did not leave quietly; they put up a legal and at times physical fight. Award-winning journalist Katharine Quarmby takes us into the heat of the battle, following the Sheridan, McCarthy, Burton and Townsley families before and after the eviction, from Dale Farm to Meriden and other trouble spots. Based on exclusive access over the course of seven years and rich historical research, No Place to Call Home is a stunning narrative of long-sought justice.