Patrick Williams: A perfect imperfect ethnographer

Patrick Williams’ work as an ethnologist of Gypsies represents not only a major contribution to our knowledge of the Roma and the Manouches, but also a stimulating reference for thinking about ethnology and the enormous value it brings. The extent of the lessons—and the inspirations—that can be drawn from his writings and his experiences for our discipline and indeed for all human and social sciences is considerable. He provides vivid proof that it is possible to grasp and faithfully account for the always unfinished and, at the same time, always-already-there character of socio-cultural realities, or of the worlds within the world.