Indian Signatures in the Westernmost Edge of the European Romani Diaspora: New Insight from Mitogenomes

In agreement with historical documentation, several genetic studies have revealed ancestral links between the European Romani and India. The entire mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 27 Spanish Romani was sequenced in order to shed further light on the origins of this population. The data were analyzed together with a large published dataset (mainly hypervariable region I [HVS-I] haplotypes) of Romani (N = 1,353) and non-Romani worldwide populations (N>150,000). Analysis of mitogenomes allowed the characterization of various Romani-specific clades. M5a1b1a1 is the most distinctive European Romani haplogroup; it is present in all Romani groups at variable frequencies (with only sporadic findings in non-Romani) and represents 18% of their mtDNA pool. Its phylogeographic features indicate that M5a1b1a1 originated 1.5 thousand years ago (kya; 95% CI: 1.3–1.8) in a proto-Romani population living in Northwest India. U3 represents the most characteristic Romani haplogroup of European/Near Eastern origin (12.4%); it appears at dissimilar frequencies across the continent (Iberia: ∼31%; Eastern/Central Europe: ∼13%). All U3 mitogenomes of our Iberian Romani sample fall within a new sub-clade, U3b1c, which can be dated to 0.5 kya (95% CI: 0.3–0.7); therefore, signaling a lower bound for the founder event that followed admixture in Europe/Near East. Other minor European/Near Eastern haplogroups (e.g. H24, H88a) were also assimilated into the Romani by introgression with neighboring populations during their diaspora into Europe; yet some show a differentiation from the phylogenetically closest non-Romani counterpart. The phylogeny of Romani mitogenomes shows clear signatures of low effective population sizes and founder effects. Overall, these results are in good agreement with historical documentation, suggesting that cultural identity and relative isolation have allowed the Romani to preserve a distinctive mtDNA heritage, with some features linking them unequivocally to their ancestral Indian homeland.     

Ethnic minority identity and movement politics: The case of the Roma in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

The level of political mobilization among ethnic minorities in Central and Eastern Europe has often been regarded as directly dependent on the strong or weak ethnic identity of the groups involved. Less attention has gone to the role of ethnic leaders in creating ethnic group identities for political purposes. This article explores the influence of political mobilization on ethnic group formation in the case of the Roma (Gypsies) in the contemporary Czech and Slovak Republics. It examines the various ways in which Romani activists in these two countries have “framed” Romani identity. The article suggests that activists’ conceptions of Romani identity are closely tied to their political strategies. At the same time, Romani activists have not been able to gain complete control over the production of Romani identity. They have had to deal with powerful schemes of ethnic categorization promulgated by the media, public officials and policy documents.     

Short human occupations in the Middle Palaeolithic level I of the Abric Romani rock-shelter (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain)

This paper presents a multidisciplinary study on the size of the occupied surfaces, provisioning strategies and behaviour planning at the Romani rock-shelter, using the Middle Palaeolithic record of the level i. This level is dated around 46.000 BP through U/Th ages. A behavioural interpretation is proposed, which emphasises the activities and the systemic value of the archaeological artefacts and structures. Occupation patterns are identified on the basis of the accumulations formed by human activities. These archaeological accumulations, consisting of artefacts and hearths, are easily defined visually as spatial units. The relationships between these accumulations, established by means of refitted remains, indicate that differences can be established between: 1) small and medium-sized occupation surfaces; 2) restricted and diversified provisioning strategies. This variability suggests that different modes of occupation are represented in the same archaeological level. The human activities reveal the generalization of fire technology. In almost all sizes of the occupation surfaces, the exploitation of vegetal resources near the Abric Romani marks the threshold of the restricted provisioning strategy. Limited use and fragmented knapping activities are recorded in the lithic assemblage. Faunal remains show differential transport. The exploitation of lithic, faunal and vegetal resources characterizes the diversified provisioning strategy. The small occupation surfaces and restricted provisioning strategies suggest short settlements in the Abric Romani. This shorter occupation model complements the longer diversified provisioning strategy recorded in both small and medium-sized occupied surfaces. The selection of precise elements for transport and the possible deferred consumption in the diversified provision strategy suggest an individual supply. In this respect, Neanderthal occupations in the Romani rock-shelter show a direct relation to: 1) hunting strategic resources; 2) high, linear mobility.     

The Roma in Macedonia: Ethnic politics and the marginal condition in a Balkan state

Most of Eastern Europe's five‐to‐seven‐million Roma (Gypsies) welcomed the revolutions of 1989 only to realize that the post‐communist era brought mixed blessing to them. Although since then their political and cultural marginalization had diminished, their social and economic circumstances had clearly deteriorated in East Central Europe and the Balkans alike. The only exception to this rule appears to be the newly independent Republic of Macedonia, where the Roma's conditions in many respects are far superior to those of their counterparts elsewhere in the region. There are several reasons for this phenomenon. In the economic realm the Macedonian Roma's situation has also worsened (although still much better than that of the Roma in other Balkan states) but not as a result of ethnic discrimination but owing to the economic hardships accompanying the post‐communist transitions. In the political sphere, the Roma in Macedonia have benefited from a state whose representatives are willing to rise above sympathetic rhetoric and take concrete steps to alleviate their problems as well as from relatively well organized Romani political parties. Most important, however, are the differences between societal attitudes towards the Roma in Macedonia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. In Macedonia the Roma's relations with the dominant ethnic group (Macedonians) are primarily characterized by ‘peaceful coexistence’ rather than tension and animosity. Moreover, Romani communities in Macedonia are less isolated from non‐Roma both culturally and socio‐economically. This state of affairs is the result of a number of related factors, most important of which are that the Romani community does not represent a threat to Macedonians given their numerical weakness and lack of political clout in contradistinction to the very real threat posed by the ethnic Albanian community in the country. In turn, the Roma's relations to ethnic Albanians and Turks remain relatively agreeable as well.     

Does being Roma matter? Ethnic boundaries and stigma spillover in musical consumption

Manele songs, an updated version of traditional Romani music, are excluded from mainstream Romanian media due to their association with the country’s large Roma minority. The genre is at the intersection between Romania’s democratic transition and growing efforts to strengthen boundaries between the country’s marginalized Romani minority and the non-Romani majority population. But we find that media discussions around manele underscore a fluid relationship between ethnic boundaries and stigmatized cultural consumption. All those who listen to manele are portrayed in negative terms by the media, no matter whether ethnic markers are used as part of the portrayal. In the context of manele, genre-based stereotypes extend beyond ethnic boundaries to assign negative social value to a wide swathe of people who consume the genre. The stigma spillover surrounding manele audiences therefore underlines the ways in which Roma identity is fluid, and anyone associated with the Roma can be relegated to the lower rungs of social status. Manele show how the political process of ethnic boundary-making draws a wide net over those located at the bottom of power hierarchies.     

Origins and Divergence of the Roma (Gypsies)

The identification of a growing number of novel Mendelian disorders and private mutations in the Roma (Gypsies) points to their unique genetic heritage. Linguistic evidence suggests that they are of diverse Indian origins. Their social structure within Europe resembles that of the jatis of India, where the endogamous group, often defined by profession, is the primary unit. Genetic studies have reported dramatic differences in the frequencies of mutations and neutral polymorphisms in different Romani populations. However, these studies have not resolved ambiguities regarding the origins and relatedness of Romani populations. In this study, we examine the genetic structure of 14 well-defined Romani populations. Y-chromosome and mtDNA markers of different mutability were analyzed in a total of 275 individuals. Asian Y-chromosome haplogroup VI-68, defined by a mutation at the M82 locus, was present in all 14 populations and accounted for 44.8% of Romani Y chromosomes. Asian mtDNA-haplogroup M was also identified in all Romani populations and accounted for 26.5% of female lineages in the sample. Limited diversity within these two haplogroups, measured by the variation at eight short-tandem-repeat loci for the Y chromosome, and sequencing of the HVS1 for the mtDNA are consistent with a small group of founders splitting from a single ethnic population in the Indian subcontinent. Principal-components analysis and analysis of molecular variance indicate that genetic structure in extant endogamous Romani populations has been shaped by genetic drift and differential admixture and correlates with the migrational history of the Roma in Europe. By contrast, social organization and professional group divisions appear to be the product of a more recent restitution of the caste system of India.     

Roma migrant children in Catalonia: between the politics of benevolence and the normalization of violence

In this article, I engage with the current debate on Roma migrant children. Taking Catalonia as a case study, I tackle the separation of Romani children from their parents and the completion of pay-to-go schemes for marginalized Romanian Roma families. The focus lies within the allegedly humane logic of state institutions and civil-society organizations that reflect structural oppression and unveil everyday racism against Roma as a group. Specifically, I seek to explain the relation between the “voluntary return” practices and programs for child protection. The benevolent practices towards the migrant Roma families are considered to be grounded on child well-being. At the same time, the common and widespread practice of pay-to-go for poor Romani migrants push the families into a vicious circle of forced mobility. Therefore, I employ the theories of humanitarianism, and the critiques on the politics of benevolence, to reveal the institutional racism against the Romani migrants.     

The politics of “understanding”: secrecy,language, and Manouche song

This article explores how song operates as a forum through which Alsatian Manouches (a subgroup of Romanies/“Gypsies”) negotiate social relations with non-Manouches and with each other. Two of the most salient identity markers for Manouches are music and language. Whereas Manouches regard instrumental music as a legitimate means of engaging with non-Manouche people, it is often considered inappropriate to share their spoken dialect of Romani with others. As a combination of both, Manouche song represents a complex juncture of volition and apprehension towards their interactions with non-Manouches. Drawing on fieldwork among Manouche and non-Manouche performers, I investigate how public Manouche vocal performance ironically connotes an ambivalence towards cross-cultural sharing, and how power relations unfold through varying degrees of linguistic concealment and openness. This article theorizes the (il-)legibility of the voice in music and illustrates how song reflects Manouche language ideologies in flux.     

Follow the money: international donors,external homelands and their effect on Romani media and advocacy

ABSTRACT

While Roma are both Europe’s largest minority, there is no “homeland” state that claims to guard their interest. The lack of “an external national homeland” [Brubaker, R. 1996. Nationalism Reframed: Nationhood and the National Question in the New Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press] to watchdog and safeguard their rights has a particular effect on how Roma engage as political actors and subjects. International donors/foundations have assumed the role of “external homeland”. This article explores the effect that donors’ funding priorities have on Romani advocacy – specifically Romani journalism. Drawing upon multi-sited fieldwork in five countries, extensive document analysis, and interviews, Idemonstrate that the change in Romani media content over the past two decades reflects the shift in funders’ priorities, particularly in relation to the European project. “The Roma” become a tool for donors and European institutions to build a “European” identity while Romani-led advocacy becomes increasingly marganilized.     

Frequencies of mtDNA haplogroups in southeastern Europe--Croatians, Bosnians and Herzegovinians, Serbians, Macedonians and Macedonian Romani

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms were analyzed in of 1,610 randomly chosen adult men from 11 different regions from southeastern Europe (Croatians, Bosnians and Herzegovinians, Serbians, Macedonians and Macedonian Romani). MtDNA HVS-I region together with RFLP sites diagnostic for main Euroasian and African mtDNA haplogroups were typed to determine haplogroup frequency distribution. The most frequent haplogroup in studied populations was H with the exception of Macedonian Romani among whom the most frequent were South Asian (Indian) specific variants of haplogroup M. The multidimensional scaling plot showed two clusters of populations and two outliers (Macedonian Romani and the most distant from mainland Croatian island of Korcula). The first cluster was formed by populations from three Croatian islands (Hvar, Krk and Brac) and the second cluster was formed by Macedonians, Serbians, Croatians from mainland and coast, Herzegovinians, Bosnians, Slovenians, Poles and Russians. The present analysis does not address a precise evaluation of phylogenetic relations of studied populations although some conclusions about historical migrations could be noticed. More extended conclusions will be possible after deeper phylogenetic and statistical analyses.     

Divergent patrilineal signals in three Roma populations

Previous studies have revealed that the European Roma share close genetic, linguistic and cultural similarities with Indian populations despite their disparate geographical locations and divergent demographic histories. In this study, we report for the first time Y-chromosome distributions in three Roma collections residing in Belgrade, Vojvodina and Kosovo. Eighty-eight Y-chromosomes were typed for 14 SNPs and 17 STRs. The data were subsequently utilized for phylogenetic comparisons to pertinent reference collections available from the literature. Our results illustrate that the most notable difference among the three Roma populations is in their opposing distributions of haplogroups H and E. Although the Kosovo and Belgrade samples exhibit elevated levels of the Indian-specific haplogroup H-M69, the Vojvodina collection is characterized almost exclusively by haplogroup E-M35 derivatives, most likely the result of subsequent admixture events with surrounding European populations. Overall, the available data from Romani groups points to different levels of gene flow from local populations.     

Out of work and house and home: Contested youth in an english homeless hostel

Drawing on fieldwork in England, this article considers a group of unemployed teenagers in occasional residence at a hostel for the homeless, examining their attitudes to work, welfare and adulthood. Interactions between the hostel staff and these young people are discussed. Staff and residents are shown to be at odds over how best to make sense of and respond to the problems of homelessness and unemployment. The residents, most of them in their mid to late teens, could be said to be growing up under extremely difficult circumstances, but growing up allthe same. They might even be described as growing up faster than others their age – of necessity. Nevertheless, I suggest that their present difficulties are not always something these young people want to be too grown up about, if they can help it. Out of work and away from home, being young is one of the few things that they have going for them, and it provides them with a way of coping with the problems they face.     

The seasonal pattern of sheep blowfly strike in England and Wales

Abstract. Information on 4049 cases of sheep blowfly strike on 495 farms in England and Wales was gathered in a longitudinal survey conducted in 1991. The breech was the most commonly infested area, accounting for 70.9% of all strikes recorded. Body strikes accounted for 19.7% and foot strikes 11.4% of all strikes. Early in the season the incidences of both breech and body strikes were higher in ewes than in lambs, but from June to October lamb strikes predominated. The incidence of foot strike was greater in ewes than lambs throughout the year, with a peak incidence in September. Regional differences in strike incidence were evident; the highest overall incidences were recorded in the southern regions of England where peak incidence occurred earlier in the year. The highest monthly incidence risk was recorded in August in the south-east of England where there were 14.2 strikes per 1000 lambs and 4.0 strikes per 1000 ewes at risk. The importance of faecal soiling and ambient temperature are discussed.     

Maxillary sinusitis in Medieval Chichester,England

Maxillary sinusitis is a common medical complaint, affecting more than 30 million people per year in the United States alone. Very little palaeopathological work on this disease has been carried out, probably because of the enclosed nature of the sinuses in intact skulls and the lack of a suitable method for examination. This study tested the hypothesis that maxillary sinusitis was more common in people with leprosy than in people without it in Medieval England. The prevalence of maxillary sinusitis by age and sex was recorded in 133 individuals, some diagnosed as being leprous, derived from a later Medieval (12th to 17th centuries AD) urban hospital population at Chichester, Sussex, England using both macroscopic and endoscopic methods of examination. Of the 133 individuals with one or both sinuses available for examination, 54.9% (73) had evidence of bone change within the sinuses. There was no difference in prevalence between those with leprosy and those without, although clinical studies suggest that over 50% of lepromatous leprous individuals may develop sinusitis. Comparison with another study on Medieval British sites with a 3.6% prevalence (3 of 83) indicates that the prevalence at Chichester is much greater. The problems with diagnosing sinusitis are addressed and reasons behind the high frequency in this study are discussed. Aetiological factors predisposing to maxillary sinusitis are considered with reference to possible environmental conditions prevailing in the later Medieval period in Britain. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Changing claims in context: national identity revisited

This article re-examines how willing the English and Scots are to accept or reject claims to respective national identities by people born elsewhere. A previous paper showed, counter-intuitively, that people in the two countries were similar in their willingness to accept claims to national identity. Since then, different political parties are in power in England and Scotland, with differing policies and attitudes to identity. Have the original findings changed in the context of this significant political change? We conclude that the English and Scots continue to be similar on accepting or rejecting claims. However, they have diverged with regard to claims by white people, with national identity a less important explanatory variable than education in Scotland, whereas in England it remains the determining factor. For claims by non-whites, the two societies have become more similar. Education remains in Scotland, and to a considerable extent in England, the more important explanatory variable.     

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom: analysis of epidemiological surveillance data for 1970-96.

OBJECTIVE: To identify changes in the occurrence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease that might be related to the epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. DESIGN: Epidemiological surveillance of the United Kingdom population for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease based on (a) referral of suspected cases by neurologists, neuropathologists, and neurophysiologists and (b) death certificates. SETTING: England and Wales during 1970-84, and whole of the United Kingdom during 1985-96. SUBJECTS: All 662 patients identified as sporadic cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age distribution of patients, age specific time trends of disease, occupational exposure to cattle, potential exposure to causative agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. RESULTS: During 1970-96 there was an increase in the number of sporadic cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease recorded yearly in England and Wales. The greatest increase was among people aged over 70. There was a statistically significant excess of cases among dairy farm workers and their spouses and among people at increased risk of contact with live cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. During 1994-6 there were six deaths from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom in patients aged under 30. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in the incidence of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the high incidence in dairy farmers in the United Kingdom may be unrelated to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The most striking change in the pattern of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom after the epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy is provided by the incidence in a group of exceptionally young patients with a consistent and unusual neuropathological profile. The outcome of mouse transmission studies and the future incidence of the disease in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, will be important in judging whether the agent causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy has infected humans.     

Ethnic mobilization and the state: the Roma in Eastern Europe

The political mobilization of marginalized ethnic groups is a process indispensable for the realization of their political objectives. This article identifies the key criteria and conditions that promote and impede successful ethnic mobilization and analyses the determinants of state policy towards newly mobilizing ethnic minorities. The theoretical arguments receive empirical support from the findings of a comparative study of the Romani (Gypsy) minority in seven East European states.     

Fall in admission rate of old people to psychiatric units.

The numbers of the elderly, and particularly the very old, have been increasing and continue to increase rapidly; but admission rates of old people to psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales suddenly started to fall in 1970. They were still generally falling in 1974 (the most recent year for which figures are available). There is no evidence that the incidence of dementia has suddenly fallen, or that expansion of extramural or other non-psychiatric services is everywhere coping with the severely demented. It is probably becoming more difficult for demented people to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals that are often still overcrowded, in view of the greater scrutiny of institutional care that has become established since the Ely Report of 1969. If this is so the cost to the demented and those who care for them of the undoubted improvements in conditions in psychiatric hospitals needs to be counted.     

Seasonal changes in the abundance and body condition of honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) in response to inflorescence and nectar availability in the New England National Park,New South Wales

Seasonal changes in numbers and body condition of honeyeaters were examined over 2 years in the New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Nectar availability measured as inflorescence density and nectar production were also recorded. In the main study site, the abundance of six of the seven most common species of honeyeater was significantly correlated with inflorescence density. However, honeyeater numbers were not significantly correlated with daily energy productivity. Unlike most honeyeater communities, the New England community was dominated numerically by the Eastern Spinebill, the smallest of the most common species present. Among the most common species, the duration of time a species was recorded in the area was negatively, but not significantly, correlated with its size. All species examined showed similar seasonal changes in body condition, with the highest bodyweights and fat deposits recorded in winter.