Gypsies and Other Itinerant Groups: A Socio-Historical Approach

by Leo Lucassen, Wim Willems, Annemarie Cottaar

Studies the place of Gypsies and travellers in modern society and in the history of Europe and looks at how and why they have been marginalized, stigmatized, and persecuted in the past and present. Part I analyzes current popular and scholarly ideas about Gypsies and other itinerants. In Part II, the stigmatization concept is applied to the history of these groups in Western Europe from the Middle Ages onwards, showing the influence of repressive policies and the creation of an ethnically defined minority on the construction of their marginal position. Part III shows how an alternative socio-economic approach can lead to different outcomes for these groups. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

226 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 1998