Europe's Ethnic Minorities
Running head: EUROPE ETHNIC
“Europe’s Ethnic Minorities” Jessica Williams Instructor Amber Welch HIS 306 Twentieth-Century Europe March 1, 2011
Europe’s Ethnic Minorities Since the 1900s, European History has seen its lows and highs when it came to ethnic tolerance and prejudice. The European Union has been dealing with discrimination for a long period of time. This conflict stems from the principles of social, economic and political modernization, on the one hand, and promotion of ethnic diversity and ethno-cultural specify, on the other, was particularly perceptible in the Soviet model of multiculturalism, which might be defined as ethno-territorial federalism. (Hall, 1995). The Soviet project of social modernization was accompanied by the appearance, encouragement and establishment of reified cultural differences by the institutionalization of ethnicity through the implementation of the korenizatsiia (indigenization) projects in the 1920s. (Tishkov, 1997). The political and governmental constitutions in the national autonomies were created in a means that mirrored the ethnic composition of the province or country. As a rule, the representatives of supposed nationalities prevailed amongst state or regional officials. The innovative political classes in the national autonomies were produced by enlisting new affiliates of the Communist Party mainly from the supposed ethnic groups. (Tishkov, 1997). As Tishkov states, in the Soviet Union, “[titular] nationality had taken on a new importance as an indicator of membership in the relevant social and cultural community”. Most of Europe 's indigenous peoples, or ethnic groups known to have the earliest known historical connection to a particular region, have gone extinct or been absorbed by (or, perhaps, contributed to) the dominant cultures. Those that survive are largely confined to remote areas. Groups that have been identified as
“Europe’s Ethnic Minorities” Jessica Williams Instructor Amber Welch HIS 306 Twentieth-Century Europe March 1, 2011
Europe’s Ethnic Minorities Since the 1900s, European History has seen its lows and highs when it came to ethnic tolerance and prejudice. The European Union has been dealing with discrimination for a long period of time. This conflict stems from the principles of social, economic and political modernization, on the one hand, and promotion of ethnic diversity and ethno-cultural specify, on the other, was particularly perceptible in the Soviet model of multiculturalism, which might be defined as ethno-territorial federalism. (Hall, 1995). The Soviet project of social modernization was accompanied by the appearance, encouragement and establishment of reified cultural differences by the institutionalization of ethnicity through the implementation of the korenizatsiia (indigenization) projects in the 1920s. (Tishkov, 1997). The political and governmental constitutions in the national autonomies were created in a means that mirrored the ethnic composition of the province or country. As a rule, the representatives of supposed nationalities prevailed amongst state or regional officials. The innovative political classes in the national autonomies were produced by enlisting new affiliates of the Communist Party mainly from the supposed ethnic groups. (Tishkov, 1997). As Tishkov states, in the Soviet Union, “[titular] nationality had taken on a new importance as an indicator of membership in the relevant social and cultural community”. Most of Europe 's indigenous peoples, or ethnic groups known to have the earliest known historical connection to a particular region, have gone extinct or been absorbed by (or, perhaps, contributed to) the dominant cultures. Those that survive are largely confined to remote areas. Groups that have been identified as
References: Amin, A. (2004). Multi-Ethnicity and the Idea of Europe, Theory, Culture and Society, 21(2): Appiah, K Beck, U. (2006) The Cosmopolitan Vision. Cambridge: Polity Press. Gitelman, Z. (1992). Development and Ethnicity in the Soviet Union. New York: Columbia University Press. Hall, J. (1995). In Search of Civil Society, in: J.A. Hall (Ed.) Civil Society: Theory, History, Comparison Lentin, A. (2004). The problem of culture and human rights in the response to racism. Perry, M., Berg, M., & Krukones J. (2011). Sources of European history: Since 1900 (2nd Ed.). Peterson, S. (2003). Tolerance: Beyond Intractability. Retrieved on March 4, 2011 from http://www.beyondintractability.org/tolerance/ Tishkov, V. (1997). Ethnicity, Nationalism and Conflict in and after the Soviet Union: The Mind Aflame