Though there is a danger that 'place' may become subsumed or ignored in research as attention now shifts to questions of 'mobility,' discussion of place has burgeoned throughout academia. Many texts declare that place is important, or proclaim the power of place. While place has been shown to be a fundamental part of human existence, what does this then mean for those who are characterized as not being interested in places? Examining nomadic Gypsies and Travelers in Britain, who are often constructed as placeless, highlights that this is not simply a representational concern, but has a tangible empirical affect, impinging on their everyday practices as well as influencing policies and laws that actively deny them their right to place. By exploring various definitions of place and how this impacts the understanding of mobilities, I demonstrate that the meaning ascribed to nomads is dependent upon a spatialized definition of place which is underpinned by the space-place binary. It is this aspect of the discourse that allows for nomads to be constructed as out-of-place wherever they are, and by recognizing this we can avoid framing placelessness as a natural characteristic of nomadism. Reconceptualizing place allows for more nuanced understandings of nomadism, as our identities are constructed in relation to both place and mobility, not just one or the other.
abstract.
Over the centuries, the image of nomads threatening sedentary ways of life has been a common pejorative representation. In order to understand what geographies underpin narratives about nomads, I examine how social theory and media representations invoke the image of nomads. Both media and academic representations are buttressed by limited understandings of place and space, framing nomads as the quintessential “place invaders.” Focusing on nomadic Gypsies and Travelers in England provides a contemporary example of this process. British media representations construct nomadic Gypsies and Travelers in England as out‐of‐place and threatening. Deconstructing essentialist geographical conceptions allows us to avoid reproducing the common image of placeless nomads, reveals how people utilize place to render others inferior, and highlights the fact that conflicts between nomadic and sedentary ways of life are not intractable and natural. Adopting a more nuanced understanding of place can challenge the dominant trope of nomads as place invaders.
The Roma are often depicted as not only not having a place, but not caring about place. I refer to this common association as the 'myth of the placeless Gypsy' . There is a need to challenge the myth of the placeless Gypsy as these types of representations further stigmatise the Roma community. To accomplish this I examine the geographies underpinning the Romani Studies discourse in order to see how the Roma's relationship to place is constructed. In this article, I examine four ethnographies about the Roma to highlight how academic representations help to further reinforce the idea that Roma are placeless. I find that even in in-depth studies, authors simultaneously reproduce and deny the myth of the placeless Gypsy. Despite explicit pronouncements that Roma are placeless, these authors in their detailed discussions of Roma practices actually emphasise the importance of place. In order to account for this incongruity, it is crucial to understand how place is being conceptualised, as limited, essentialist definitions of place typically make it easier to render Roma placeless.
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