The nomads invented a war machine in opposition to the State apparatus. History has never comprehended nomadism […] the book has never comprehended the outside. The State as the model for the book and for thought has a long history […] the republic of minds, the court of reason, the functionaries of thought, man as…
DetailsAyeRight and Lankelly Chase are working together to shine light on the way Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and communities are interconnected with each other, the land and all forms of life, both human and non-human. This is because we believe that there is knowledge and wisdom in the cultures and histories and that this…
DetailsWhite Tail was always first to the table. Checking first for watching eyes, she would descend graceful and fearless remaining only until she had eaten enough to provide the energy needed for the day. Safe in the knowledge that none had challenged her, the others followed. None were brave enough to enter alone as White…
DetailsThe following gives an overview of the latter stages of the 10 year long struggle to halt the eviction of eighty families resident at Dale Farm, Essex. The eviction went ahead on 19th October 2011. The article itself has no conclusion – I would have liked to write that the eviction caused such outrage that…
DetailsI watched a programme about effective altruism last night. The main points discussed were what approaches, and by whom, were most effective. It got me thinking about the what and who by and for of community development approaches – empowerment, participation and so on. At the core of the altruism debate was funders, who…
DetailsWatching a documentary on Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) reminded me that my critical thinking developed against a backdrop of psychedelia, a sub-culture associated not only with psychedelic drugs, imagery and music but also with critical consciousness – a state of mind where ‘the ability to recognise and analyse systems of inequality and…
DetailsI was invited by the Scottish Traveller Action and Resilience Collective [STARC] to present on their behalf at this meeting. As a founding member of the collective I was happy to do so. My presentation, which focused on the role of the media in driving hate speech directed towards the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities,…
DetailsIn the quiet of the night she rises slowly, careful in her movements lest she wake the man. She moves to the curtainless window looking out to an ink blue sky. Fiery Mars low in the East. High above, Ursa Major’s seven stars shine bright in anticipation of the coming blue moon; a portent…
DetailsFirst published as part of Engender’s F-Words series (July, 2020). In considering the language used to categorise and indeed denigrate Gypsy/Traveller women, an examination of the role of the media in the ‘othering’ or cultural denigration and exclusion of the Gypsy/Traveller community en masse is crucial. Creators of ‘folk devils’ and drivers of moral panics who with “a…
DetailsThe first long, warm evening of the year, we sleep with windows ajar. Drifting into sleep, we are minded that the summer Solstice will soon be upon us and so we will begin the slow descent into the darkness once more. Midnight,…
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