The Swedish Gypsy Experts

In English The study of the history of the Gypsies in Sweden shows a marked continuity over time in regard both to content and starting point.It deals with two themes: the particular 'nature' of the Gypsies and their relation vis-á-vis the authorities. The point of departure is that the Gypsies are a foreign, 'secretive' and 'inaccesible' people, whose 'otherness' can not be accepted. Consequently they must be transformed into 'useful citizens' It takes very special measures to achieve and these can only be discovered by the Gypsy experts. The Gypsy expert himself is an integrated part of the discourse about Gypsies, which has taken shape during the last century, and has to be studied within the context of this discourse.