Gypsy Lore Society
The Gypsy Lore Society was founded in Great Britain in 1888 to unite persons interested in the history and lore of Gypsies and rovers and to establish closer contacts among scholars studying aspects of such cultures.
History
David MacRitchie was one of its founders in 1888 and he worked with Francis Hindes Groome until 1892 to produce its quarterly journal. From 1892, the organisation was dormant until its revival in 1907, when MacRitchie became its president.
Another early member of the society was the explorer Sir Richard Burton, who wrote from Trieste in 1888:
We [The Gypsy Lore Society] must advance slowly and depend for success upon our work pleasing the public. Of course, all of us must do our best to secure new members, and by Christmas I hope that we shall find ourselves on the right road. Mr. Pincherle writes to me hopefully about his practical studies of Gypsy life in Trieste. As regards Orientalism in England generally I simply despair of it. Every year the study is more wanted and we do less. It is the same with anthropology, so cultivated in France, so stolidly neglected in England. I am perfectly ashamed of our wretched "Institution" in Hanover Square when compared with the palace in Paris. However, this must come to an end some day.[1]
The Society had ceased to function during World War I. Robert Andrew Scott Macfie had set it up again round 1906 and John Sampson was its president of 1915. The Romani scholar Dora Esther Yates supported the society's revival in 1922 and she became its secretary in 1932.[2][3]
Since 1989 it has been headquartered in the United States. Its goals include promotion of the study of Roma, Gypsies and Travelers. Gypsy Lore Society publications include journal ROMANI STUDIES continuing Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society and Newsletter of the Gypsy Lore Society. The biannual journal, Romani Studies, concerned with disseminating accurate information aimed at increasing understanding of these cultures in their diverse forms. The Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society appeared in four series, starting in July 1888. The Society's archives are held at the University of Liverpool.
Among the Gypsy and Traveler cultures represented include those traditionally known as Roma, Sinti, Calé, Romnichels, Ludar, Irish Travellers, Scottish Travellers and others.[citation needed]
The Society also sponsors programs and conferences. The North American chapter of the Society established the Victor Weybright Archives of Gypsy Studies in 1978, specializing in recent scholarly work on Gypsy, Traveler and related studies, for the benefit of researchers and students. This research collection is now housed at Michigan State University Special Collections.
The current[when?] president of the Gypsy Lore Society is Elena Marushiakova.[citation needed]
Notes
- ^ The Life of Sir Richard Burton, by Thomas Wright, 155. The Gypsy, August 1888. https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/burton/richard/b97zw/chapter33.html
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Yateswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Sampson, Anthony (1997). The Scholar Gypsy: The Quest for a Family Secret. John Murray. pp. 77 and 122. ISBN 0719557089.
External links
- Gypsy Lore Society
- Romani Studies
- Gypsy collections at the University of Liverpool
- Opening Speech at the Annual Meeting and Conference of the GLS
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