ABSTRACT
Gypsies and travellers are portrayed with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion in equal measure. TV programmes such as My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding have brought renewed interest in the social world of gypsies and travellers, whilst the forced removal of eighty-six families from Dale Farm in Essex in 2011 brought the media gaze on the plight of gypsy and traveller communities to the fore. Despite this, it is fair to say that the lifestyle of gypsies and travellers is often misunderstood by the wider population. The purpose of this chapter is to help put into context the values of gypsies and travellers, and how these have conflicted with the values supposedly embedded in wider society.
