Hearing the Voices of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities: Inclusive Community Development

Over the past decade, interest in Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT) has risen up the political and media agendas, but they remain relatively unknown. This topical book is the first to chart the history and contemporary developments in GRT community activism, and the community and voluntary organisations and coalitions which support it. Underpinned by radical community development and equality theories, it describes the communities' struggle for rights against a backdrop of intense intersectional discrimination across Europe, and critiques the ambivalent role of community development in fostering these campaigns. Much of it co-written by community activists, it is a vehicle for otherwise marginalised voices, and an essential resource and inspiration for practitioners, lecturers, researchers and members of GRT communities.

Table of Contents:
Foreword ~ Gary Craig; Introduction~ Thomas Acton, Sarah Cemlyn and Andrew Ryder; Pedagogies of hope:the Gypsy Council and the National Gypsy Education Council ~ Thomas Acton, Peter Mercer, John Day and Andrew Ryder; ‘Ministers like it that way’: developing education services for Gypsies and Travellers ~ Arthur Ivatts with John Day; Charles Smith: the fashioning of an activist ~ Thomas Acton and Andrew Ryder; Friends, Families and Travellers: organising to resist extreme moral panics ~ Neil Ansell with Rob Torkington; Building bridges, shifting sands: changing community development strategies in the Gypsy and Traveller voluntary sector ~ Angus McCabe, Yvonne MacNamara and Sarah Mann; The Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition ~ Andrew Ryder and Sarah Cemlyn; Below the radar - Gypsy and Traveller self-help communities and the role of the Travellers Aid Trust ~ Margaret Greenfields and Susan Alexander; Gender and community activism: the role of women in the work of the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups ~ Sarah Cemlyn, Maggie Smith-Bendell, Siobhan Spencer and Sally Woodbury; The Roma in Europe: the debate over the possibilities for empowerment to seek social justice ~ Thomas Acton, Iulius Rostas and Andrew Ryder; Roma communities in the UK: 'opening doors' taking new directions ~ Sylvia Ingmire and Natalie Stables; Conclusion: In Search of Empowerment~ Thomas Acton, Sarah Cemlyn and Andrew Ryder.

About the Author :
Andrew Ryder is a Fellow at Bristol University, Associate Fellow at the Third Sector Research Centre, Birmingham and Visiting Professor at the Corvinus University, Budapest. Sarah Cemlyn is a Fellow at Bristol University. She has worked extensively with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities as community practitioner, researcher, writer and activist Prof Thomas Acton holds honorary chairs at Greenwich and Corvinus, Budapest, is Senior Research Fellow, Bucks New University, and Patron, Roma Support Group, London.

Review :
"This book, written by well-respected activist-scholars and community members, challenges the establishment to hear the strength of voice in the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and to recognise the power of co-production to facilitate transformative change." Dr Jo Richardson, Professor of Housing and Social Research, De Montfort University, Leicester @socialhousing; "This important book provides understanding of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, based upon insider activists' insights as well as academics' . A must for those concerned with community development and equalities." Majorie Mayo, Emeritus professor, Goldsmiths, University of London; "An indispensable book for anyone working with GRT communities. Based on first-hand accounts, it provides vital and challenging insights into their struggles to achieve recognition and equality in the UK." Alison Gilchrist, Independent community development consultant