The bankers of the backlands : financialisation and the Calon-Gypsies in Bahia

In recent decades, a population of Gypsies, Ciganos, living in Bahia, who call themselves Calon, have been specializing in lending money on interest. The thesis argues that the development of Cigano money-lending niche is a Calon assimilation of recent changes brought about by monetization of daily life transforming the Bahian tradition of seeing them as trickster-figures. Several recent developments have increased demand for cash in the Bahian interior and small-town life is now characterized by a dense financial net of various credit/debt forms – formal and informal, novel and traditional. In this context Ciganos-as-moneylenders are one of many existing credit institutions. Going beyond the “demand side”, the thesis explores Calon concepts and social organization of credit. It argues that money in money-lending serves both as a medium of exchange, and as a way to create an environment for Calon social reproduction. Through manipulating pragmatics of credit/debt Calon forge themselves as moral persons and create proper sociality.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Bankers of the Backlands: Financialisation and the Calon-Gypsies in Bahia.

In recent decades, a population of Gypsies, Ciganos, living in Bahia, who call themselves Calon, have been specializing in lending money on interest. The thesis argues that the development of Cigano money-lending niche is a Calon assimilation of recent changes brought about by monetization of daily life transforming the Bahian tradition of seeing them as trickster-figures. Several recent developments have increased demand for cash in the Bahian interior and small-town life is now characterized by a dense financial net of various credit/debt forms – formal and informal, novel and traditional. In this context Ciganos-as-moneylenders are one of many existing credit institutions. Going beyond the “demand side”, the thesis explores Calon concepts and social organization of credit. It argues that money in money-lending serves both as a medium of exchange, and as a way to create an environment for Calon social reproduction. Through manipulating pragmatics of credit/debt Calon forge themselves as moral persons and create proper sociality

THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL CAREER IN EUROPE: A complete report on the EASA membership survey

This report presents the results of the survey conducted among EASA members in 2018. The survey was a collaboration between EASA and the PrecAnthro Collective, whose members have worked together and mobilised since 2016 to raise awareness about the challenges of developing an academic career in anthropology. The themes explored in the survey reflect existing academic research on changes to the academic profession and the casualisation of labour in Europe and beyond. The survey enquired into the extent to which and how trends already documented in other disciplines, and in academia as a whole, affect anthropologists. These trends include a growing division between research and teaching, the deprofessionalisation of academic labour through multiple contract types, the imperatives of international mobility and cyclical fundraising, and weak labour unions. This report captures overall trends as well as regional differences in the anthropological profession in Europe.</jats:p

Violence and affective states in contemporary Latin America

This special issue brings together scholars interested in the analysis of the social, cultural and affective dimensions of violence. The contributions explore the connections between situated experiences of violence and shifting affective states, relations, sensations and contingencies in contemporary Latin America. The articles consider how violence might constitute a nexus for the production of subjectivities and forms of identification, relationality and community, alterity and belonging, in a range of Latin American contexts including Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico and in the Mexican diaspora in Spain

« On ne peut plus parcourir le monde comme avant » : au-delà de la dichotomie nomadisme/sédentarité

Les chercheurs caractérisent fréquemment la relation à l’espace des tsiganes brésiliens selon l’opposition sédentarité/nomadisme. Or une approche historique et ethnographique de leurs modes de vie montre que l’on objective ainsi des catégories des sciences sociales mais qu’on ne parvient pas à rendre compte de leurs sociabilités ni des significations qu’ils donnent à leur spatialité. Le monde des Tsiganes calon de Bahia est structuré par des principes spécifiques de parenté, par des caractérisations de la personne sociale, par leur manière de saisir les opportunités économiques et par les divisions que la violence introduit.Várias evidências históricas e etnográficas demonstram que as caracterizações da espacialidade Cigana no Brasil como sendo “sedentária” ou “nômade”, tal como frequentamente elaboradas por acadêmicos, contribuem para objetificar categorias do pensamento social e científico, mas falham em apreender a socialidade e os significados que se encontram por trás da espacialidade dos Ciganos. O mundo dos Ciganos Calon na Bahia é estruturado de acordo com princípios específicos de parentesco, noções próprias sobre pessoa, oportunidades econômicas e fragmentação por meio de violência.Scholars frequently characterize Brazilian Gypsies’ relationship to space via the opposition of sedentariness/nomadism. Yet, an historical and ethnographic approach to their lifestyles shows that whereas we visualizes categories this way in the social sciences, we do not manage to give full account of either their sociability or the meanings they give to their spatiality. The world of the Calon Romani in Bahia is structured by specific principals of kinship, by characterizations of the social person, by the manner in which they seize economic opportunities, and by divisions brought on by violence

« On ne peut plus parcourir le monde comme avant » : au-delà de la dichotomie nomadisme/sédentarité

Scholars frequently characterize Brazilian Gypsies’ relationship to space via the opposition of sedentariness/nomadism. Yet, an historical and ethnographic approach to their lifestyles shows that whereas we visualizes categories this way in the social sciences, we do not manage to give full account of either their sociability or the meanings they give to their spatiality. The world of the Calon Romani in Bahia is structured by specific principals of kinship, by characterizations of the social person, by the manner in which they seize economic opportunities, and by divisions brought on by violence

Concluding remarks : methods and the future of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller-related research

How can the social sciences be an arena where positive social changes are achieved and not just discussed? How can social science help to shape social priorities in the post-pandemic world? These are immediate, practical questions for scholars planning and implementing research projects. Any answer must necessarily revolve around methods, since change starts close at hand, in the immediacy of one’s daily work, and it starts with practice and action, not with theory and argument. By paying close attention to research methods, it is possible to carry out engaged research – research that is relevant, reflexive, responsible and responsive – even in the midst of a global pandemic

Innovation, collaboration and engagement : proposals for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller-related research

This chapter discusses the transformation of research methods that has been generated or accelerated by the pandemic, and its likely effects on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller-related research. The chapter focuses on the changing roles of researchers and their ethical and political implications. It highlights the affordances and limits of emerging, remote research methodologies and their potential impact on existing power differentials and hierarchies. The chapter suggests that ethnography may become impoverished if it is reduced to the collection of textual and oral data (interviews, online texts and videos). Lastly, the chapter explores the advantages of collaborative research and of the involvement of research participants and assistants when planning, implementing and disseminating projects. It points to problems that may arise from conflicting goals and expectations in such collaborations