It is not uncommon for a child of a minority community in Britain to explore their parents’ cultural heritage and understand how and where elements of their identity were formed. Often this includes journeying to a place in Britain or overseas to experience a built (home) environment, family network, and family friends that have been spoken about in stories and overheard in family conversations for many years. However, the colourful stories of parents, uncles and aunts about a distant place and the people found there can contrast with reality. Visiting sites and people far away might not be congruent with the parents’ stories. Exploring an authentic past or golden age can be problematic in this case. Damian Le Bas’s The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain travelogue and memoir is an example of this quest by one British author of multiple heritage: Gypsy and non-Gypsy. La Bas’s work is important because there are few books on the market about the stopping places of the Romani and Irish Travellers. In explaining a personal account, Le Bas writes in a readable style, incorporating well-observed descriptive sections.
SOAS, University of London
Dr Shirin Akiner
Birincil Dil | İngilizce |
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Bölüm | Kitap Değerlendirmesi |
Yazarlar | |
Yayımlanma Tarihi | 31 Mayıs 2023 |
Gönderilme Tarihi | 23 Şubat 2023 |
Yayımlandığı Sayı | Yıl 2023 Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1 |