Questioning Gypsy Identity

Ethnic Narratives in Britain and America

By (author) Brian A. Belton

Not available to order

Publication date:

07 March 2005

Length of book:

212 pages

Publisher

AltaMira Press

ISBN-13: 9780759114968

Brian Belton's powerfully original book examines Gypsy lives against the framework of social theories that illustrate how identity arises out of the cultural complexity of individual biographies, families, and communities. Addressing the lack of contextual and social perspectives in the existing literature and the underlying assumption of a consistent Gypsy lineage, he explores the subject of identity to include the broader social context in which the population exists. He argues that Gypsy identity is created and maintained not only by tradition and heredity, but also by social and ideological factors that give rise to the 'ethnic narrative' of Gypsy identity. Growing up in an English Gypsy family, Belton offers a unique 'outsider-insider' perspective to Questioning Gypsy Identity, writing what are essentially stories of people_how they are made, their social force, and what they collectively create.
This is an exciting and overdue book. The theme of ethnic identity is one which has permeated much academic writing over recent years and has been the source of endless theorising and conjecture. Yet too often, debates about Gypsy ethnicity have crudely adopted existing models and theories, without adequately acknowledging the complexity of Gypsy identity. This is where the value of this book lies. Belton systematically reviews existing work in this area and questions the notion of Gypsies as a homogenousgroup, critically challenging many of the existing theories of Gypsy identity. In particular, he emphasises that ethnicity is primarily a social construct, and one which has important wider implications for Gypsy communities. Belton's focus upon both Britain and America?coupled with a unique insider-outsider perspective?makes this book essential reading for anyone interested in Gypsy ethnicity, or ethnic identity more generally..