The memory of Spanish Gypsies: Scholarship, oral history, and archive research

This study explores avenues of research pertaining to the lives and experiences of Gitanos or Calé (Spanish Gypsies) during the Spanish Civil War and General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. The essay locates little-explored scholarship, oral testimonials, and archives that can be used for further investigation into the experiences of Gitanos in a period that needs to be documented with greater rigor. It facilitates availability of material regarding this part of Spain’s past and present lines of inquiry that require attention. The main goal here is, in short, to foster open discussion about the challenges and hardships of this marginal group in a still obscure and unexposed period of Spain’s history.