Description
Book SynopsisThe story of the enforced settlement of Gypsy travelers in southeast England, whose nomadic lifestyle ended when they were moved to concrete ghettos of local-government-run caravan sites following the 1968 Caravan Sites Act, is told in this textual and visual rendering. The seasonal work harvesting fruit and vegetables that attracted Gypsy families who lived in ""bender"" tents and traveled in horse-drawn wagons to Kent dried up in the post–World War II era when mechanization reduced the need for labor. Historical accounts, primary sources, and stories told by Gypsies provide an intimate picture of the cultural and social impact of this transition and the loss of identity that struck members of this rarely documented ethnic group.
Table of ContentsChapter One: the Old Ways; Chapter Two: Vagrancy and the Gypsies; Chapter Three: Wagons and Tents; Chapter Four: Winds of Change; Chapter Five: On the Verge; Chapter Six: Council sites: sanctuary or graveyard?; Chapter Seven: "Into brick"; Conclusion: Caravans of the Mind
