Minorities

1
Minorities introduction to a broad field

• Martin Klatt, PhD.
• Dept. of Border Region Studies, Sønderborg

2
Minorities whats that?

• Different!
• Numerical
• Power relation
• Social integration
• Gender
• Sexual orientation

3
Why important?

• Differentiation
• Discrimination
• Human rights
• Social cohesion

4
National, ethnic, .?

• Terms can be diffuse discuss!
• Discuss why they exist at all!
• French approach
• US approach

5
National minorities in Europe
6
Criterias for national minorities

• Common origin, different from the majority
• Common language, different from the majority
• Myths about a common heritage, different from the
  majority
• Different race
• Different religion
• Different culture
• Feeling of belonging to a certain territory
• Subjective self-identification, common identity

7
A typology

• Minorities with one kin-state
• Minorities with several kin-states
• Minorities without a kin-state
• Transnational minorities with/without a kin-state
• Minorities as local/regional majority
• Sub-state nations
• Borderland-minorities with neighboring kin-state

8
Minorities and the nation state

• National minorities are in conflict with the
  ideal of the culturally and ethnically
  homogeneous nation state (even though the latter
  does not exist)
• Revisionism fears of secession
• Visibility visible minorities (appearance,
  symbols) illustrate the imperfectness of the
  national ideal
• Otherness
• Financial issues

9
European development

• Minorities become part of the 1. World War peace
  settlements, Right of National
  Self-Determination
• Interwar years minorities as a cause for
  irredenta and revisionism of the peace settlement
  (Sudeten-crisis, Schleswig, South Tyrol)
• But also issues as cultural autonomy tested and
  implemented (i.e. Estonia, North Schleswig)

10
Post WW II

• Human rights development
• European Convention on Human Rights (Council of
  Europe, 1950)
• UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
• Framework Convention on the Protection of
  National Minorities
• EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Nice 2000)
• The Cold War
• Germany and Denmark as allies
• CEE minorities integrated into Communist society
  (at least officially)
• European integration
• More open border
• Border revision becomes outdated

11
Minority conflicts in Europe

• Balkans
• Hungary-Romania (Hungarians abroad in general)
• Ireland
• Basques, Catalans, Scots, Kurds (Sub-state
  nations)
• Georgia, Caucasus
• Latvia and Estonia
• Sinti and Roma

12
Issues

• Border revisionism secession
• Social exclusion
• Historical grievances, memories and traumas

13
Minorities in European integration

• Direct context Copenhagen criteria, Charter of
  Fundamental Rights
• Indirect context
• More open borders
• Europe of Regions offers new opportunities for
  substate nations
• Bi- and tri-linguality can be an asset in a
  common market
• Blurred minorities
• The use of violence to achieve secession has
  become unfashionable (Ireland, Basque)
• Last not least economic growth can lead to
  social inclusion