| Abstract: |
The romantic construction of the “Gypsy” Western imaginary as a nomad has very little to do with the more complex reality of this nomadism, which is also the result of being forced to move by governments or hostile populations. Indeed, it is possible that this forced nomadism further turned into an integrated cultural trait. Moreover, for most romani groups, this nomadism is ongoing, but takes place in a periodic or seasonal circuit, linked to some specialized professional or trading activities, which can also take place in a partially sedentary context. Actually, most romani groups have been settled for many generations. But these sedentary Romanies reproduce the mechanisms and practices of camp settlement in their sedentary style of housing.
For Romanis, the central values of liberty and community are generative of an historical resistance to the modernity values of the European populations where Romanies have become perceived as “permanent intruders”. Moreover, they generated an alternative form of economic organization that encourage strong bonds to the social field of everyday life in the community. The two characteristics of this binding are, first, a relationship to money that can be said to be « now and for everyone», in a temporal security resulting from a form of mechanical solidarity (as described by Durkheim); and secondly, a relationship to work according to mobility, freedom, self determination, outside living and priority given to daily social life and events, where family is never far from workplace. |
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