Margaret Greenfields

Housed Gypsy Travellers, Social Segregation and the Reconstruction of Communities

This paper explores the ‘accommodation careers’ and social adaptations of Gypsies and Travellers living in ‘bricks and mortar’ accommodation and the implications of this trend for current concerns pertaining to social segregation and ‘parallel communities’. The paper discusses the ‘constrained choices’ regarding accommodation that Gypsies and Travellers face, before considering the structure of social relations in their respective localities. The strategies by which cultural identities are sustained in housing and how the presence of kin and other Gypsy/Travellers helps to mitigate some of the difficulties experienced are explored. However, the argument is made that while frequent social interaction and the maintenance of a distinct cultural identity provides a crucial source of support, there is also the danger that social relations become restricted to close ‘bonding’ networks, thus intensifying the social isolation of Gypsy/Traveller communities and further fragmenting neighbourhoods along ethnic lines.

Gypsies and travellers in housing : the decline of nomadism

This original and timely text is the first published research from the UK to address the neglected topic of the increasing (and largely enforced) settlement of Gypsies and Travellers in conventional housing. It highlights the complex and emergent tensions and dynamics inherent when policy and popular discourse combine to frame ethnic populations within a narrative of movement. The authors have extensive knowledge of the communities and experience as policy practitioners and researchers and consider the changing culture and dynamics experienced by ethnic Gypsies and Travellers. They explore the gendered social, health and economic impacts of settlement and demonstrate the tenacity of cultural formations and their adaptability in the face of policy-driven constraints that are antithetical to traditional lifestyles. The groundbreaking book is essential reading for policy makers; professionals and practitioners working with housed Gypsies and Travellers. It will also be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, social policy and housing specialists and anybody interested in the experiences and responses of marginalized communities in urban and rural settings.