ABSTRACT
In literature on school provision for Roma and Traveller children in Ireland, as across Europe, a frequent theme is the need to ensure their inclusion in school ethos and curricula. Roma and Travellers are seen as at particular risk of intentional and unintentional exclusion, and of inclusion policies and practices that promote their cultural absorption. In this chapter we briefl y outline the population profi le of Travellers in Irish society and in education; our main focus is the interrelation between constructions of Traveller identities, by the dominant society and by themselves, and the implications for policy and professional development in formal education. “Changing schools” requires transformation of the perceptual and policy framework within which they operate. We argue that lacunae in the system are at fundamental conceptual levels, and need to be addressed if intercultural initiatives are to be effective in practice.
