Chapter The Gypsies as the original sin of modernity

At the end of the 15th century, chroniclers throughout Western Europe reported the arrival of strange brown-skinned people, wearing unfamiliar clothing and speaking a foreign language. These foreigners posed as Christians and claimed to come from Egypt. They soon scattered to all European countries. The earliest records show that the first groups aroused great sympathy among the native population; but the more numerous they became, the more the original curiosity and goodwill towards the nomads faded in the eyes of the settled population. Familiar images and stereotypes are found in the descriptions of nomadic groups in the chronicles dating from as early as the 15th century. Gypsies, for example, are said to be plagued by an uncontrollable wanderlust. The construction of and response to natural vagrancy in those parts of Europe that experienced the transition from feudalism to capitalism suggests that the development of the “internal outsider” was an important part of the construction of a settled European identity. The work ethic, the morality of property, and civilisation were demarcated as different from the nomads. On the other hand, the emergence of the work ethic went hand in hand with the denigration of those nomads, who seemed to reject it and thus posed a threat to its legitimacy. The constant repetition of negative images and suspicions against members of migrant groups fuelled resentment and indelible hatred. This, in turn, led to demands for stricter measures against the group; but those were never and nowhere clearly defined. Legislators responded to these demands by legalising prejudice and superstition. The persecution of the Gypsies led to a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more people perceived the Gypsies as criminals, the more attention they paid to the cases that confirmed their expectations.