Inventing a Nation: The Birth and Development of the Silesian Minority in Poland

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Sara Marondel ◽  
Tomasz Pietrzykowski
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Rights ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
National Minority ◽  
International Level ◽  
The People ◽  
Regional Organisations ◽  
Formal Recognition

Abstract This article describes the ethnic revival in Upper Silesia in Poland, and the struggle faced by regional organisations to formally recognise the Silesian people as an ethnic minority in Poland. After years of having their culture repressed by the homogenising inclinations of the communist regime, there are a growing number of people identifying themselves as belonging to a separate Silesian national minority. This social change quickly translated into the initial organisations dedicated to preserving the culture and fighting for minority rights. Those organisations then made both judicial (on a national and international level) and legislative attempts at the formal recognition of the Silesian nationality, and have been undertaking actions aimed at stirring up and building feelings of national identity among the people living in Silesia.

Dynamics of Cultural and Educational Processes of National Minorities of Transcarpathia of the Second Half of the 20th Century

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-253
Author(s):  
Natalija Malets ◽  
Oleksandr Malets
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
National Minority ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The People ◽  
Cultural Processes ◽  
Socialist Economic

The article analyses the dynamics of ethnic composition and ethnic processes in Transcarpathia in the second half of the 20th century, as well as ethno-cultural processes of national consolidation of Ukrainians of the region as part of the Ukrainian nation. The paper evaluates the practice of the Soviet state and the ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) to determine the nature, content and directions of all ethno-national and ethno-cultural policies in Transcarpathia. While researching the consolidation processes of Transcarpathian Ukrainians as part of the Ukrainian nation, the authors showed that the development of the traditions of Ukrainian national culture was seen in the environment of the creative intelligentsia and the majority of the people as an alternative to ideological communication. It is justified that the main goal of the communist authorities in Transcarpathia in 1945-1991 was to establish socialist, economic, political and ideological regime in the region. In order to accelerate this process, a Russian (Russian-speaking) national minority was hastily created in the region by the state authorities, which, having occupied leading political, ideological and economic positions, became a reliable support for the new communist regime. The article analyses the dynamics of ethnic composition and ethnic processes in Transcarpathia in the second half of the 20th century, as well as ethno-cultural processes of national consolidation of Ukrainians of the region as part of the Ukrainian nation. The paper evaluates the practice of the Soviet state and the ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) to determine the nature, content and directions of all ethno-national and ethno-cultural policies in Transcarpathia. While researching the consolidation processes of Transcarpathian Ukrainians as part of the Ukrainian nation, the authors showed that the development of the traditions of Ukrainian national culture was seen in the environment of the creative intelligentsia and the majority of the people as an alternative to ideological communication. It is justified that the main goal of the communist authorities in Transcarpathia in 1945-1991 was to establish socialist, economic, political and ideological regime in the region. In order to accelerate this process, a Russian (Russian-speaking) national minority was hastily created in the region by the state authorities, which, having occupied leading political, ideological and economic positions, became a reliable support for the new communist regime.

Moral Legitimacy, Creedal Narratives, and National Identity

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-104
Author(s):  
Joseph Margulies
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Moral Legitimacy ◽  
The People ◽  
The Law ◽  
We The People

Scholars sometimes misunderstand the role that law plays in achieving social change. Law in the United States represents the codification of normative ideologies, or creedal narratives. New ideologies can take hold in society only as the result of deep and wide structural changes that cause the gradual erosion of others. Lawmakers—whether judicial or political—eventually give these new ideologies legitimacy. Contrary to Bruce Ackerman’s contention in We the People, the law follows social change, not vice versa.

scholarly journals THE PROCESS OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NATIONAL IDENTITIES ON THE POLISH‐LITHUANIAN‐BELARUSIAN BORDERLAND

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-54
Author(s):  
Andrzej Sadowski
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
National Identities ◽  
National Minority ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Collective Actors ◽  
Theoretical Category ◽  
National Membership ◽  
Different Levels

In this article I will at least try to outline the necessary methodological assumptions for the future researches on the national identities of the inhabitants of the Polish ‐ Belarusian ‐ Lithuanian borderland. Then, using the results of the studies of the identities on the Polish ‐ Belarusian borderland, I will attempt to prove the thesis, that in present conditions, the national identity should not be treated as only subjective reflection of someone's national membership, described with the use of a given set of features on the different levels of objectification, but should be understood broader: declaration of the national identity also means taking of the certain position, defining of someone's place and duties within the dynamic and changeable national structure. We can distinguish four types of the collective actors, which shape the national identities on the studied borderland: (1) ethnic minorities (with which certain categories of the citizens identify), (2) national majorities backed by the power of the state in which the representatives of the minorities live, (3) the “foreigner fatherlands” (R. Brubaker) and (4) international organizations which create certain legal regulations and who monitor (control) their realization. In the studies of the national identity of the Polish‐Belarusian‐Lithuanian borderlands some theoretical approaches can be distinguished. There is a need to define, at least for the use in the studies, the concepts of national minority and ethnic minority, and to create a new theoretical category ‐ “the cultural nation”. The national (ethnic) minority can be distinguished in the specific minority situation, most frequently in the context of the other, dominant majority, as the community, which is less significant, subordinated and often discriminated. The notion of national‐ethnic self‐identification should be associated with the resourcefulness of the representatives of a given minority in certain environments.

To Investigate the Critical Influencing Factors for Decision Making Process of Students Who Want to Study Abroad

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. 619-624
Author(s):  
JueJueMyint Toe ◽  
Ali Abdulbaqi Ameen ◽  
Sui Reng Liana ◽  
Amiya Bhaumik
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
International Level ◽  
Continuing Higher Education ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
The People ◽  
Study Overseas

Myanmar is the developing country and its education system is not yet to international level. Hence, most of the young adults, who like to upgrade their knowledge global wide and to gain international recognized higher educational certificates, choose to study overseas rather than continuing higher education after their high education nowadays, that becomes the trend of young people to study overseas since the competency among the people is getting intense based on the education level in every industry. The purpose of this research is to understand that students’ decision making process of selecting university. The study will be conducted to see clear trend of Myanmar students’ decision making of studying in abroad. This research will cover the context of what is Myanmar students’ perception of abroad, how they consider among other countries and explaining those factors which determine Myanmar students’ choice and how they decide to study abroad.

Dr. Radan Angelov Sarafov and his sacrifice for democracy

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-247
Author(s):  
Ilko Drenkov
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
The United States ◽  
Central Intelligence Agency ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
World War ◽  
Intelligence Agency ◽  
The People ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Public Audience ◽  
The Cold War

Dr. Radan Sarafov (1908-1968) lived actively but his life is still relatively unknown to the Bulgarian academic and public audience. He was a strong character with an ulti-mate and conscious commitment to democratic Bulgaria. Dr. Sarafov was chosen by IMRO (Inner Macedonian Revolutionary Organization) to represent the idea of coop-eration with Anglo-American politics prior to the Second World War. Dr. Sarafov studied medicine in France, specialized in the Sorbonne, and was recruited by Colonel Ross for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), remaining undisclosed after the with-drawal of the British legation in 1941. After World War II, he continued to work for foreign intelligence and expanded the spectrum of cooperation with both France and the United States. After WWII, Sarafov could not conform to the reign of the communist regime in Bulgaria. He made a connection with the Anglo-American intelligence ser-vices and was cooperating with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for more than a decade. Sarafov was caught in 1968 and convicted by the Committee for State Securi-ty (CSS) in Bulgaria. The detailed review of the past events and processes through personal drama and commitment reveals the disastrous core of the communist regime. The acknowledgment of the people who sacrificed their lives in the name of democrat-ic values is always beneficial for understanding the division and contradictions from the time of the Cold War.

Minority Rights

2018 ◽  
pp. 165-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Kymlicka
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Minority Rights ◽  
International Order ◽  
The Political ◽  
International Level ◽  
International Political Theory ◽  
Rights Issues

It has often been noted that the political claims of minorities and indigenous peoples are marginalized within traditional state-centric international political theory; but perhaps more surprisingly, they are also marginalized within much contemporary cosmopolitan political theory. In this chapter, I will argue that neither cosmopolitanism nor statism as currently theorized is well equipped to evaluate the normative claims at stake in many minority rights issues. I begin by discussing how the “minority question” arose as an issue within international relations—that is, why minorities have been seen as a problem and a threat to international order—and how international actors have historically attempted to contain the problem, often in ways that were deeply unjust to minorities. I will then consider recent efforts to advance a pro-minority agenda at the international level, and how this agenda helps reveal some of the limits of both cosmopolitan and statist approaches to IPT.

Christians in Iraq: The Transition from Religious to Secular Identity

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-24
Author(s):  
Herman G.B. Teule
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Minority Rights ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Field ◽  
Political Choices ◽  
Positive Results

In the Middle Eastern societies, Christians traditionally define themselves as religious communities or churches. This is a continuation of the Ottoman millet system, where religion determined the place one had in society and the patriarch was responsible for the insertion of his community into the state. It not only preserves the traditional ecclesiastical divisions based on dogmatic divergences and church politics but also transposes them to the political field.For a few decades, many lay politicians in Syria considered this system as detrimental to Christian interests. They developed the idea of a common ethnic identity for all churches using Syriac. New political circumstances in Iraq made it possible to give a political translation of this idea by the creation of Christian political parties, defending common ethnic minority rights. Despite some positive results, attempts at creating unity failed, not only because a lack of unanimity about certain political choices but also about the idea of ethnic identity itself.

“Clean and green — That’s the way we like it”

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Teo
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Educational Discourse ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Discursive Strategies ◽  
Political Ideologies ◽  
The People ◽  
National Campaigns ◽  
The Government ◽  
Management And Conservation

This paper focuses on the discursive strategies used by the Singapore government to construct national identity and solidarity on the basis of a ‘clean and green’ environment. By analysing the slogans used in the Clean and Green Week campaign in terms of the use of pronouns and the pragmatic notion of ‘politeness’, the paper shows that the people of Singapore are not only persuaded to ‘buy’ the idea of environmentalism, but also to buy into the ideology of national identity and unity being derived (in part) from the proper management and conservation of Singapore’s scarce resources and limited physical space. The paper concludes with a discussion on how national campaigns such as the Clean and Green Week constitutes a form of political discourse, where public educational discourse becomes a veiled medium through which socio-political ideologies are produced and propagated. With the government treading the fine line between information and manipulation where ‘greening’ a country becomes a scaffolding for building a nation, a study like this offers interesting insights into the interplay between the language of politics and the politics of language.

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