Jake Bowers

In October 2009, journalist and commentator Jake Bowers kicked off our New Perspectives on Britishness seminar series with a lively session on Roma, Gypsy and Traveller identities in the UK.

Jake is the editor of Travellers' Times Online and an organiser of Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month.

In his talk, he discussed the negative effects of media representations of the Gypsy community, and provocatively compared newspaper headlines about Gypsies with the reporting of stories about other ethnic minorities. Jake described some of the history of Gypsies and Irish Travellers in Britain, and explained the interrelationships between the Romani language and English. He also explicitly debunked some of the myths surrounding these communities, such as those relating to lifestyle and travel. Jake finished his talk with a call to celebrate the fact that these marginalised communities have managed to survive everything that the British state has, over time, thrown at them in the form of discriminatory legislation.

The seminar was attended by a large and diverse audience, some of whom had travelled some distance to hear Jake's view on the treatment of Gypsies and Travellers in Britain. There were many thought-provoking questions and lively debate, and the event was testament to the importance of open public seminars in discussing contemporary political, social and cultural issues.

If you would like to attend any of the other seminars in the New Perspectives on Britishness series, please contact j.matthews@hud.ac.uk.