Exploring Gypsiness

Power, Exchange and Interdependence in a Transylvanian Village

By: Ada I. Engebrigtsen

Write A Review

Paperback | 1 October 2007

At a Glance

Paperback
232 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.25

Paperback

$100.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $25.19 with

Ships in 15 to 25 business days

Romania has a larger Gypsy population than most other countries but little is known about the relationship between this group and the non-Gypsy Romanians around them. This book focuses on a group of Rom Gypsies living in a village in Transylvania and explores their social life and cosmology. Because Rom Gypsies are dependent on and define themselves in relation to the surrounding non-Gypsy populations, it is important to understand their day-to-day interactions with these neighbors, primarily peasants to whom they relate through extended barter. The author comes to the conclusion that, although economically and politically marginal, Rom Gypsies are central to Romanian collective identity in that they offer desirable and repulsive counter images, incorporating the uncivilized, immoral and destructive "other". This interdependence creates tensions but it also allows for some degree of cultural and political autonomy for the Roma within Romanian society.

Industry Reviews

"[The author] successfully unpacks the grounds for exclusion and intermingling between ethnic identities and groups, revealing the dimensions of agency within the apparently fixed and unassailable 'Roma' category of being. The book facilitates critical thinking about the dense trilogy of identity, marginality, and poverty which work with Rom evokes." · JRAI

"...a valuable book that makes a significant contribution to the discussion of interethnic relations in Romania and beyond...and addresses a multitude of intriguing questions in a competent mannter." · Anthropos

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.