Abstract:

Based on the principles underlying the organizers of the International Seminar, we are interested in social change based on participation and popular education methodologies. With the following lines we will try to analyze the cultural identity of the gypsy people. We will focus on the group of Gypsy Community that they are living in the quarter “Diego Sayago” in the city of Huelva (Spain). The development of politics of participation of the collective, the capacity of taking decisions in the face of the lacks, demands and necessities of the districts, it evidences the necessity of an integral study of the territory. The strategies for participation and dissemination of Gypsy culture in Andalusia, especially, in Huelva will be our main object of interest. The first structures that would made (Social Services) to promote the social participation denounce the necessity to give answer to the problems of cultural identity and social stereotypes.
The Department of Citizen Participation (City Council) with the Department of Education of University of Huelva are working on a program of training. These activities are intended to promote the study of language and gypsy culture. The study aims to present the program of collaboration between different social and educational institutions. The socio-educational program to which we refer reaches its fourth consecutive year broadcasting the identity of the Gypsy Community in Spain between Gypsy and non-Gypsies people that are living in Huelva. Among the socio demographics of the quarter “Diego Sayago”, we emphasize the important implementation of the Gypsy Community with a high density in the neighborhood. The gypsy population should, among others, in different slums of the City of Huelva core along with other groups arrived from Extremadura basically (Community of Extremadura, Spain). The introduction of the Gypsy Community in the quarter “Diego Sayago” is reflected in their partnerships "Romano-Drom" and "UPRE Chavorro Kaloo” and their participation in the Center for Social Services "Las Flores" or the Evangelical Church.
The gypsy people are carrying more than 500 years in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), nevertheless, the identity cultural remains a great unknown for most of the population and there are many prejudices about the gypsy people prevail. Similarly, there is a clear association between this people and the processes associated with social exclusion such as unemployment, economy, drugs, educational level and training, school segregation… These phenomena are not unique to this ethnic group, while often be more vulnerable in these contexts.
From the "Gypsy Development Program" (Department of Citizen Participation of the City of Huelva) and the Faculty of Educational Sciences (Universidad de Huelva), we considered the approach to this reality in order to promote the dissemination of knowledge between Roma and non Roma and participate, thus, in their social integration beyond the stereotypes and clichés of xenophobic and racist. The knowledge of its origin, history, cultural development, social organization, laws, custom… contribute in a decisive way to the better interaction in social integration of the Gypsy Community.

Keywords:

Cultural identity, Social stereotypes, Participatory practices, Gypsy Community.