1. Do not cut the grass: expressions of British Gypsy-Traveller identity on cemetery memorials
- Author
-
Clare McVeigh and Greig Parker
- Subjects
Health (social science) ,Anthropology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Religious studies ,Ethnic group ,Identity (social science) ,Philosophy ,Negotiation ,Social reproduction ,Argument ,Ethnology ,Sociology ,Relation (history of concept) ,media_common - Abstract
The reported absence of distinguishing features upon British Gypsy-Traveller memorials has been used to support the widely accepted, and influential, argument that dead people are not the focus of social continuity within Gypsy-Traveller society. However, based upon cemetery surveys and interviews with members of the Gypsy-Traveller community in Sheffield, England, this paper demonstrates that explicit displays of ethnicity are now common upon memorials, and describes their characteristics. The reasons behind this apparent shift in mortuary practices are discussed in relation to wider socio-political factors. Based upon these findings, we argue for a reconsideration of the relationship between living and dead people within British Gypsy-Traveller society, and a recognition of the importance of commemoration in the negotiation of identity and social reproduction within these communities.
- Published
- 2013