A Preserving Tradition or a Means of Exclusion?

The Traditional Female Hairstyle of Irish Travelers

Abstract

Gypsies, Roma and Travelers are often classified under the term “Roma” in Europe and under the acronym “GRT” in Great Britain. These communities and other nomadic groups, such as Scottish and English travellers, the so-called “show people” (traveling entertainers) and new travellers share many common characteristics: the importance of family and/or social networks; nomadic lifestyles, propensity for self-employment, disadvantage and the worst health outcomes in the UK.

Irish Travellers are traditionally a nomadic people group in Ireland, but have a distinct identity, heritage and culture from mainstream society. The presence of Irish travellers can be traced back to 12th century Ireland. The community has been recognized as an ethnic minority in Ireland. They are not related to the Roma either in origin or in their history, but the similarity of their way of life is often a basis for the “conflation” of the two groups, and their mostly identical discrimination. Travelers provide a particularly interesting surface for examination because they do not differ markedly from the Irish majority population in appearance, so they could easily blend in to make it easier to assert themselves. However, the traditions that ensure community cohesion and identity at the same time prevent assimilation. The paper is about such a tradition that simultaneously provides identity and causes exclusion: women’s hairstyle.