Creating a Lady from a Gypsy

Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s novel ？ingene (Gypsy) puts into dialogue the essentialist and cultural evolutionist views of his time with reference to Gypsies. The ambiguity surrounding the representation of Gypsies marks this dialogue as well. Although the novel demonstrates that Gypsies, as human beings, can be “tamed” and “civilized”, the novel, contrary to what is often argued, does not foresee the possibility of full equality in the foreseeable future. Equality would only be possible when Gypsies are purified of their “Gypsiness.