Gypsy World (Paperback, 2nd ed.)

For many of us, one of the most important ways of coping with the death of a close relative is talking about them, telling all who will listen what they meant to us. Yet the Gypsies of central France, the Manus, not only do not speak of their dead, they burn or discard the deceased's belongings, refrain from eating the dead person's favorite foods, and avoid camping in the place where they died.
In "Gypsy World," Patrick Williams argues that these customs are at the center of how Manus see the world and their place in it. The Manus inhabit a world created by the "Gadzos" (non-Gypsies), who frequently limit or even prohibit Manus movements within it. To claim this world for themselves, the Manus employ a principle of cosmological subtraction: just as the dead seem to be absent from Manus society, argues Williams, so too do the Manus absent themselves from Gadzo society--and in so doing they assert and preserve their own separate culture and identity.

Anyone interested in Gypsies, death rituals, or the formation of culture will enjoy this fascinating and sensitive ethnography.

General

Imprint:	University of Chicago Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	June 2003
First published:	June 2003
Authors:	Patrick Williams (Profesor of Spanish History, University of Portsmouth)
Dimensions:	216 x 145 x 8mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	115
Edition:	2nd ed.
ISBN-13:	978-0-226-89929-9
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social theory Promotions
LSN:	0-226-89929-2
Barcode:	9780226899299

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