Professor Thomas Acton
Courses
Undergraduate
Asylum-Seeking, Racism and Gypsies in Contemporary Europe
Postgraduate
Asylum, Social Justice and Control
Professor of Romani Studies
Tel: 020 8331 8923
Email: t.a.acton@gre.ac.uk
Office: Queen Mary 207
Office Hours for 2008-09
Thursday 11am - 12pm
Qualifications
1955 - 1965: Brentwood School, Essex: 12 O-levels, 3 A-levels, 2 S-Levels
1966 - 1969: Trinity College, Oxford, Minor Scholarship: B.A.Hons. (Second Class) PPE
1969 - 1972: Nuffield College, Oxford, SSRC Scholarship: D.Phil. in Sociology and M.A., 1974
1978 - 1987: Polytechnic of Central London, PT. Cantonese Chinese
Languages
Reasonable: English, French, German, Kalderash Romani, Anglo-Romani, spoken Cantonese,
Basic communication: Irish Traveller Gammon/Shelta, Latin;
Dormant: Russian
Professional Experience
1997 - Present: Professor of Romani Studies
1994 : Promoted to Principal Lecturer Grade, University of Greeenwich
1989 : Reader in Romani Studies, Thames Polytechnic
1981 : Senior Lecturer (by promotion) in the Sociology of Social Policy, Thames Polytechnic.
1977- 81: Lecturer Grade II, Thames Polytechnic.
1974 - 77: Research Fellow in Social Policy, Thames Polytechnic.
1973 - 74: Part-Time: Supply Teacher , I.L.E.A. & Revision Tutor Dartford CFE
1973 - 74: Full-Time: Manager, Justin de Blank Provisions Ltd. London SW1.
1970 - 73: Part-time: Various Oxford Colleges: Tutoring and revision class lectures.
1966: Full-time A. Driver and operative, Crown Cleaners, Brentwood, Essex.
B. Assembly line worker, H.Moeller, Bonn, West Germany.
Research Interests
Romani Studies, Sociology of Health, Social Policy for Older People, Chines fishing and canal-boat communities.
Edited Books
'Counter-Hegemony and the Post-Colonial Other' Acton, Thomas & Hayes, Michael. Cambridge Scholars Press 2006
Book Chapters
'Some problems in bringing the Dialects and Culture of smaller Romani groups into the School curriculum' in Counter-Hegemony and the Irish Other eds T.Acton & M.Hayes Cambridge Scholars Press 2006
'No Promised Land: Romani Politics, Scholarship and the Discourse of Nation-Building' in Gypsies and the Problem of Identities, London and Istanbul. IB Tau (eds Marsh A and Strand E). 2006
'Modernity, Culture and "Gypsies": Is there a Meta-Scientific Method to Understand the Representation of Gypsies? And do the Dutch Really Exist?' in N.Saul & S.Tebbutt The Role of the Romanies (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press) 2004
'The Gypsies' B.Lalor Ed. The Encyclopaedia of Ireland Dublin: Gill and Macmillan 2003
'Theorizing Gypsy Law' Acton, Thomas (with Caffrey & Mundy) in Gypsy Law: Romani Legal Traditions and Cultureed. W.O Weyrauch, Berkeley: University of California Press 2001
'Citizens of the World and Nowhere: Minority, Ethnic and Human Rights for Roma' Acton, Thomas (with Gheorghe) in Between Past and Future: The Roma of Central and Eastern Europe. Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press 2001
'The International Romani Union - An Eastern European Answer to a Western European Question? Shifts in the Focus of World Romani Congress 1971-2000' Between Past and Future: The Roma of Central and Eastern Europe. Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press 2001
Journal Articles
'Nomads in No-Man's Land' (with Bickerstaffe, Rodney and Mercer, Peter) in the Tribune 10 May 2006
'Meetings with Milena' in Romano Dzhaniben Volume 13 2006
'Conflict Resolution and Criminal Justice – Sorting out Trouble; Can legislation resolve perennial conflicts between Roma/Gypsies/Travellers and ‘National Minorities.' in Journal of Legal Pluralism Volume 51 (Lit Verlag, Berlin) 2006
'Charles Smith - Gypsy Activist, Poet and Film Maker (Obituary)' The Guardian 2005
'Human Rights as a Perspective on Entitlements: The Debate Over '"Gypsy" Fairs in England' in Essex Human Rights Review 2004 Vol.1(1)
http://projects.essex.ac.uk/ehrr/
'Sir Angus Fraser 1928-2001' in Nationalities Papers Volume 31 2003
'Response to Barany' in Ethnic and Racial Studies Volume 26 (2) 2003
'A three-Cornered Choice: Structural Consequences of Value-Priorities in Gypsy Law as a Model for a More General Understanding of Variations in the Administration of Justice' in the American Journal of Comparative Law Volume 50 (3) 2003
'Horsmonden Survey' in The HUB Newsletter of the Gypsy Council (1) Spring 2003
'Weer Rajendra Rishi 1917-2002' The HUB Newsletter of the Gypsy Council (1) Spring 2003
'Roma Millenium' in Church and Race 2002
'Traveller Education Publications - A Genre Coming of Age?' in Books for Keeps, Journal of the School Bookshop Association 2002
Conference Contributions
Knowledge/Power: Identity/History; Paradigmatic constraints on Romani Studies. Congress of the International Institute of Sociology, Stockholm. 2005 & 37th World Congress of the International Institute of Sociology, Stockholm. 2005
Languages Without a Written Tradition. Kent CC Minorities Achievement Service Conference, Univ. of Greenwich 2005
No Promised Land: Romani Politics, Scholarship and the Discourse of Nation-Building International Romani Studies Conference, Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul. April 2003
Donner le Panorama Des Faits Historiques Concernant Les Roms- Ouvrir Des Pistes Pour Travail Dans Ateliers….French Education Ministry: Summer University, University of Burgandy, Dijon June 2003
Gypsy History, Romani Studies & the Roma Emancipation Movement Belonging and Boundaries: The Role of Romani History and its Re-Writing, The Malmo Museum 2003
The Patterns and Politics of Roma Migration in Europe. Conference on Roma and Asylum in Britain: Global Issues, Local Concerns. University of Newcastle upon Tyne 2003
Private Primary Health Care, Health Behaviour and Public Health Issues: The Example of Chinese Medicine. Acton, Thomas (with Xue-Qing, Kelly)Association of Public Health Conference, Cardiff. International Exhibition Centre 2003
Romani Studies and Romani Politics: Teasing Out Models of the Relationship Between Research Scholarships and Government Policies Annual Conference of the Gypsy Lore Society, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 2003
Mainstream and Alternative Marketing Strategies for Traditional Chinese Medicine in London. Acton, Thomas (withJiang-Xue-Qing & MPT Kelly). Making Sense of Health, Illnesws and Disease Conference, St. Catherine's College Oxford 2002
Could thUn Projet Europeen De Formation Pour La Scolarisation Des Enfants Tsiganes Council of Europe Project , Dijon teacher training College December 2002
e Use of the Romani Language in Schools be a Trojan Horse for Multi-Lingualism For All? Romani Education Conference, University of Gothenburg, Sweden 2001
Lecture to Oxford University Amnesty Group, New College Oxford 2001
Special Lecture on the Situation of Roma, Manchester Metropolitan University 2001
'Historical Roots of Romani and Traveller Exclusion' Rural Development Project, Gypsy and Traveller National Training Conference Hitchin Educational Resource Centre 2001
'Romani History and Traveller Education' London Borough of Greenwich Education Inspectorate, Multicultural Education Conference 2001
Reports
Better Government for Older People with Eime Tobari, Hussain Mark and Noel Campbell for the London Borough of Greenwich 2004
Report on the Organisation of the Second Site Exhibition ACERT / University of Greenwich, 2006
Reviews
'Review of Derrington and Kendall “Gypsy Traveller Students in Secondary Schools”, Marks “Traveller Education, Changing Times” and Tyler “Traveller Education: Accounts of Good Practice" in the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development Volume 27 (4)
Review of D.J.Nemeth “The Gypsy-American: An Ethnographic
Study” in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Volume 31 2005
Review of Istva'n Pog'ny, THE ROMA CAFÉ': Human Rights and the Plight of the Romani people in Ethnic and Racial Studies Volume 28 (4) 2005
Review of D.J. Nemeth "The Gypsy-American: An Ethnographic Study" in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Volume 31 (2) 2005
Review of David Mayall. Gypsy Identities 1500-2000; from Egipcyans and moon-men to the ethnic romany in Ethnic and Racial Studies, Routledge: London 2004
Review of Hancock I/, "We are the Romani People" and Werbner P. "Imagined Diasporas among Manchester Muslims" in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 2003
Review of T. Coughlan 'Now Shoon the Romani Gilli' in The George Borrow Bulletin 2001
Review of Alaina Lemon 'Between Two Fires: Gypsy Performance and Romani Memory from Pushkin to Postsocialism in the American Sociologist 2001 in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration studies
Review of Z.Barany "The East European Gypsies" and Y.Matras "Romani: A Linguistic Introduction" in the American Journal of Sociology Volume 108 (4) 2003
Other
Invited Participant Reporting on the UK: Council of Europe Conference on the Harmonisation of Teaching Materials in Romani Language Palais de L'Europe Strasbourg 26-27 May 2003
Exhibition programme 'The Roma/Gypsies/Travellers - a tale of two genocides' Programme of the London International Gypsy Film Festival London: Curzon Soho Cinema 2006. Also programmes for 'Ferdinand Koci' 'Damian Le Bas'.
Reasearch and External Funding
2003: Greenwich Council £27,000+ Better Governance of Older People
2002: Participation with Univ. of Paris V in EU network on Trav.Ed. training resources.
2001 - 02: Gypsy Council survey of Horsmonden residents, Kent
1999: British Council: Visit to Bulgaria to advise on Multicultural training
1997: Participant in School of Social Science Research Centre (HEFC funding)
1996: July 9-12. QR funding for Romani Studies Research. £56,000
1993 - 94: ESRC funding for Romani Studies Research Seminar Series UK £8,900
1993: Project on Ethnic Relations £1550: Gypsies in Bulgaria (with I.Iliev, Sofia University)
1993: European Commission: Development of Romani Encyclopaedia Project 2500 ECUs
1991- 92: EC funded research with Etudes Tsiganes on EC regulation of migration (c F.Fr.10,000)
1988: March - April : U.S.A. and Hong Kong research: British Academy, ILEA HERSEF, and the US Embassy (c£1,200 in total)
1986: British Council-sponsored individual research visit to Hungary.
1985 - 86: EEC Social Commission F.Fr. 17,000: Gypsy Education (plus sabbatical term)
1984: French Ministry of Education F.Fr. 7.000: Gypsy Education
1984: Conferences on Languages without a written tradition: British Council (£288), Greater London Council (£2,000), and from other local authorities.
1980: British Academy (£987) for fieldwork in China and Hong Kong on Fisherfolk and Canal-Boat Dwellers.
1980: Commission for Racial Equality (for National Gypsy Education Council) £10,000
1977: City Parochial Foundation (for National Gypsy Education Council) £3,500
In addition, I have been grant-aided for international conferences by the governments of France, Czech Republic, Hungary, and former Jugoslavia, and by the European Community. I have also attended research conferences in Sweden, Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and the United States, usually with external funding, and attended an OSCE meeting in Warsaw on attachment to the Foreign Office.
Research Doctorate Supervision
2 PhD candidates supervised to completion, 7 currently being supervised (2 external, LSE, Exeter,).