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Paper long abstract

This paper reports field work of an ethnographic nature carried out among Gypsy families in Porto. It considers perceptions about the value of the body associated with illness and vaccination, as influenced by ethnicity.

Early results suggest a relatively recent concern with the vaccination of children linked to a fear of physical consequences that may inhibit future social relations and intra-group commitment. In a world where matrimonial choice is limited (within the group), this concern is full of significance and meaning for both genders. This is because the body and the image associated with it (the latter being founded on standards of beauty and function endowed with certain specificities) comprise a specific kind of matrimonially profitable capital.