Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month 2024
Marie Bowers is a Romany Gypsy woman from England, a biochemist, a technician supporting the teaching of Human Physiology at the University of Glasgow, a doctoral candidate at the University of Aberdeen, and an active campaigner for GRT inclusion. Throughout Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month 2024, Marie will be sharing a series of blog posts with CILIPS members, exploring the unique role that libraries of all sectors can play in supporting and celebrating GRT communities.
The image above was created by Marie to illustrate the diversity of groups described as GRT. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and spellings are sometimes contested.
June is a busy month in the UK awareness-raising business: Volunteers Week, National Fish & Chip Day and International Men’s Health Week all happen in June, as well as Pride Month. But did you know that June is also Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month (GRTHM)? A month where we can celebrate Gypsy, Roma and Traveller heritage, customs and history, whilst highlighting the challenges these communities face in the UK and across the globe. But who are Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT) and why is GRTHM important?
As you can see, the umbrella term GRT encompasses a wide range of heterogenous groups with traditionally nomadic cultures. Each have their own distinct languages and customs. Thanks to the Equalities Act (2010) and the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller are now protected characteristics in the UK. This recognises our ethnicities and affords us the same protections in law as other ethnic minority groups. But further than this, Scottish Gypsy/Travellers and Irish Travellers have been recognised as Indigenous Peoples in Scotland and Ireland. If you research these communities via your favourite search engine, you may come across the initialism GTRSB, where Showman and Boater communities are included. Although these communities share some commonality in nomadism and customs, they are not protected ethnicities and are distinct groups in their own right. FYI: Keep your eyes peeled for World Funfair Month in September!
As June progresses, I’ll blog about the history of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the UK, point you towards some resources you might want to include in your libraries and hopefully bust a few myths along the way. I’ll also be recommending books and resources written by GRT authors which reflect the diversity of GRT communities, their cultures and barriers they face in society.
My first recommended book is Gypsy and Traveller Ethnicity – The Social Generation of an Ethnic Phenomenon by Brian A. Belton (Routledge, 2004) ISBN-10:0415348994; ISBN-13: 978-0415348997
Brian is a prolific author, and his books cover topics as diverse as football and greyhound racing, as well as youth work. Brian completed a PhD in Gypsy Ethnicity at the University of Kent and was a Senior Lecturer in youth work at the YMCA George William College. Brian continues to be involved with youth work and identity issues internationally and has worked for organisations such as the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as well as national agencies and NGOs across the globe.
I chose this book as it not only discusses Gypsy and Traveller ethnicity, but more broadly discusses race as a colonial construct, used to exercise power over colonised and minoritised groups. This work is seen by some in the GRT communities as contentious, but I believe it adds to the debate around race and decolonialisation, highlighting groups that are often ignored in these discourses.
Synopsis (quoted from Amazon):
‘The book explores the notion of Gypsy and Traveller ethnicity and provides a critique of the conceptual basis of racial and ethnic categorisation. An analysis of the post-war housing situation is given in order to illustrate a connection between social and economic conditions, legislation affecting Gypsies and Travellers and the visibility and general consciousness of the Gypsy and Traveller population.
The originality of the book lies in its argument that the position of Gypsies and Travellers largely arises out of social conditions rather than political, biological or ideological determinants. It puts forward the notion of an ethnic narrative of Traveller identity and illustrates how variations of this have been defensively deployed by some Travellers and elaborated on by theorists.
Belton focuses on the social generation of Travellers as a cultural, ethnic and racial categorization, offering a rational explanation of the development of an itinerant population that is less ambiguous and more informative in terms of the social nature of the Gypsy and Traveller position than interpretations based on ‘blood’, ‘breed’, ‘stock’, ethnicity or race that dominate the literature.’
I’m starting to collate a community-led reading list which will include more of Brian’s work amongst others which it is hoped, will provide a starting point for your library’s GRTHM25 events. This will be shared with you at the end of the month.
See you next week, when I’ll discuss the G in GRT.
Marie.