Abstract
Comprising successive phases of the moment of protection, learning and preparation to become adults, gypsy children are being raised for a life in group and geared towards the family nucleus. Based on the concepts of ethnic socialization and social identity, the study was developed in order to analyze the psychosocial universe of Calin childhood among Calon children in the State of Espírito Santo. Seven children aged between 4 and 12 years participated in the study. They make up the third generation of the community, the first one after the process of territorial settlement. The interviews were guided by a semi-structured script exploring the universes of Gypsy law, group traditions and everyday experiences, as well as drawing techniques in order to know the images of oneself, the family and the future. All the interviews were carried out in the Gypsy camp and the data were analyzed through the thematic content analysis approach. The main results showed that Calin children emphasize in their narratives the experience of Gypsy law and traditions through the use of typical dress and Caló language, residence in tents and obedience to norms for marriage, as well as routines involving games, schooling and mediation activities for the adult universe. In this scenario, the resistance movements of the group rise, in which the new generation will have to protect the essential identity elements of the Gypsy culture and create resources to maintain their sociability in transit on the borders with the non-Gypsy world.
Gypsies; Childhood; Social Identity; Ethnic Socialization
