The Customary Identity of the Coppersmiths Clan in Oltenia: Between Tradition and Modernity

Abstract

Abstracte coppersmiths' uniqueness as a Roma clan is given by their traditional cra ing legacy, as they themselves acknowledge. ey are one of the more conservative Roma clans. Encouraged by their previous nomadic lifestyle, it hasn't allowed them to blend with other clans or populations. Mixed marriages are forbidden and marriages with members of other Roma clans are rare. e aim of this study is to identify the elements that de ne the ethnic identity of the coppersmiths clan, to analyse the features that make out the coppersmiths' customary identity, and to measure the self-segregation tendencies within the coppersmiths ethnic group. e main research methods were: bibliographic documentation, direct observation, eld inquiries (structured interviews), and digital mapping. e research concluded the following: the coppersmiths are one of the extreme conservative clans, which have maintained their customary identity. e tendency of self-segregation is a direct consequence of their resistance towards anything modern, and the members of the coppersmiths clan believe that acting like the majority of society will only lead to the loss of their own identity. e consequences are mostly negative, e.g. poor school enrolment, marrying at an early age, an absence from modern socio-economic activities, etc.

The Palace Architecture of the Roma Population in Romania

“…There were three types of slaves: the ones belonging to church who were living in bordeie (half-dugout shelters) not having the right to own their properties; the ones belonging to noblemen, who similarly to the monastery slaves were allowed to live on the land owned by their lords, locally called boyars; and kingship slaves who were nomads and as slaves obeyed the king directly, who were guaranteed the right to wander freely on the territory of the country to look for gold which once found was delivered to authorities. After their liberation (in the nineteenth century), a number of these slaves lost their customs, traditions and language while another group continued to practice a nomad life, being more conservative (Posavec 2000;Preda et al 2015).…”

From State-Socialist Ambitions of Romanian Rural Indutrialisation to Post-Socialist Rural Deindutrialisation: Two Case Studies From Romania

“…In this regard, leadership interventions as a key action in local countryside formation (Esparcia, Escribano and Serrano 2015) provided new visions in the present rural development. Of these interventions, the capitalisation of local agritourism potential (see Srisomyong and Meyer 2015) sustaining the local and regional cultural identities of rural areas (see Preda, Vijulie, Manea and Mareci 2015) would turn the countryside communities into new arenas for social and economic development. Nevertheless, in Eastern European Countries, rural areas still face important negative outcomes in their transition from former state-socialist policies to a capitalist social and economic background.…”