Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity

At the end of the 15th century, chroniclers throughout Western Europe reported the arrival of strange brown-skinned people, wearing unfamiliar clothing and speaking a foreign language. These foreigners posed as Christians and claimed to come from Egypt. They soon scattered to all European countries....

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Auteur principal: Jezernik, Božidar
Format: Online
Langue:anglais
Publié: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego 2025
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Accès en ligne:ONIX_20250307_9788383314099_2159
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author Jezernik, Božidar
author_browse Jezernik, Božidar
author_facet Jezernik, Božidar
author_sort Jezernik, Božidar
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description At the end of the 15th century, chroniclers throughout Western Europe reported the arrival of strange brown-skinned people, wearing unfamiliar clothing and speaking a foreign language. These foreigners posed as Christians and claimed to come from Egypt. They soon scattered to all European countries. The earliest records show that the first groups aroused great sympathy among the native population; but the more numerous they became, the more the original curiosity and goodwill towards the nomads faded in the eyes of the settled population. Familiar images and stereotypes are found in the descriptions of nomadic groups in the chronicles dating from as early as the 15th century. Gypsies, for example, are said to be plagued by an uncontrollable wanderlust. The construction of and response to natural vagrancy in those parts of Europe that experienced the transition from feudalism to capitalism suggests that the development of the “internal outsider” was an important part of the construction of a settled European identity. The work ethic, the morality of property, and civilisation were demarcated as different from the nomads. On the other hand, the emergence of the work ethic went hand in hand with the denigration of those nomads, who seemed to reject it and thus posed a threat to its legitimacy. The constant repetition of negative images and suspicions against members of migrant groups fuelled resentment and indelible hatred. This, in turn, led to demands for stricter measures against the group; but those were never and nowhere clearly defined. Legislators responded to these demands by legalising prejudice and superstition. The persecution of the Gypsies led to a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more people perceived the Gypsies as criminals, the more attention they paid to the cases that confirmed their expectations.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1565092025-03-07T15:23:11Z Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity Jezernik, Božidar city ethnographic research cultural anthropology city in an interdisciplinary perspective urban studies At the end of the 15th century, chroniclers throughout Western Europe reported the arrival of strange brown-skinned people, wearing unfamiliar clothing and speaking a foreign language. These foreigners posed as Christians and claimed to come from Egypt. They soon scattered to all European countries. The earliest records show that the first groups aroused great sympathy among the native population; but the more numerous they became, the more the original curiosity and goodwill towards the nomads faded in the eyes of the settled population. Familiar images and stereotypes are found in the descriptions of nomadic groups in the chronicles dating from as early as the 15th century. Gypsies, for example, are said to be plagued by an uncontrollable wanderlust. The construction of and response to natural vagrancy in those parts of Europe that experienced the transition from feudalism to capitalism suggests that the development of the “internal outsider” was an important part of the construction of a settled European identity. The work ethic, the morality of property, and civilisation were demarcated as different from the nomads. On the other hand, the emergence of the work ethic went hand in hand with the denigration of those nomads, who seemed to reject it and thus posed a threat to its legitimacy. The constant repetition of negative images and suspicions against members of migrant groups fuelled resentment and indelible hatred. This, in turn, led to demands for stricter measures against the group; but those were never and nowhere clearly defined. Legislators responded to these demands by legalising prejudice and superstition. The persecution of the Gypsies led to a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more people perceived the Gypsies as criminals, the more attention they paid to the cases that confirmed their expectations. 2025-03-07T15:23:09Z 2025-03-07T15:23:09Z 2023 chapter ONIX_20250307_9788383314099_2159 9788383314099 9788383314082 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/156509 eng image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://www.press.uni.lodz.pl/index.php/wul/catalog/book/763 Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego 10.18778/8331-408-2.18 10.18778/8331-408-2.18 83bfe9c9-323d-4283-b087-d859fd9af314 9788383314099 9788383314082 289-306 open access
spellingShingle city
ethnographic research
cultural anthropology
city in an interdisciplinary perspective
urban studies
Jezernik, Božidar
Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity
title Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity
title_full Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity
title_fullStr Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity
title_full_unstemmed Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity
title_short Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity
title_sort chapter the gypsies as the original sin of modernity
topic city
ethnographic research
cultural anthropology
city in an interdisciplinary perspective
urban studies
topic_facet city
ethnographic research
cultural anthropology
city in an interdisciplinary perspective
urban studies
url ONIX_20250307_9788383314099_2159
work_keys_str_mv AT jezernikbozidar chapterthegypsiesastheoriginalsinofmodernity