Urban Roma in the New Economic Environment
Urban Roma in the New Economic Environment

Summary/Abstract: The author accompanies a group of successful Roma entrepreneurs and traders in Budapest, examining relations within the Roma community as well as between Roma and non-Roma in the context of business and trading activities. He concludes that the methods of communication and the survival strategies of the Roma are conditioned by traditions and dependence on the majority population. He identifies some general characteristics of the Roma’s behavior, such as a high degree of mobility and a capacity for adapting to a variety of situations, strong kinship ties, an information network that binds Roma families with very different living standards, and examples of conspicuous consumption (e.g., jewelry, large cars, feasting). Much of this wealth is concentrated in a few hands. The author asks the question “Does the increase in riches of a few challenge the traditional egalitarian structure of Roma society?”

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