Band 19, 1-2 (2026) von EJM ist erschienen

Band 19, 1-2 (2026) von EJM ist erschienen. Es enthält 6 Artikel, 3 Chronik-Beiträge und 5 Rezensionen: biblioscout.net/journal/ejm/19/1-2

A Pleasant Surprise: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Some Fundamental Questions

Kardos, Gábor

In terms of international cultural protection, the main task of protecting minority languages falls to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Practice did not confirm the idea that the Charter was intended for Western Europe, while the Framework Convention was designed for Central and Eastern Europe. The Charter’s two-tier protection system - one tier based on principles, the other on detailed obligations to choose, aims to meet the extremely diverse situation of minority languages in Europe and the varying degrees of willingness among European states to protect them. The core concept of the protection of minority languages “traditionally used within a given territory” certainly needs an interpretation. In the 2020s, Charter underwent a successful procedural reform that was in response to the challenges of the reporting fatigue.

“Moral Disarmament”, the League of Nations and the European Congress of Nationalities 1927–32: A Missed Opportunity?

Housden, Martyn

The phrase “moral disarmament” is seldom heard today. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, however, it became important in connection with the League of Nations’ unsuccessful attempts to promote “material disarmament”. Unwillingness of states to give up their weaponry convinced League participants of the need to investigate and try to influence the formation of the problematic motivations hampering progress in this connection. The League’s focus became concerned especially with the provision of true information through channels such as journalism. The expansion of the concept of “disarmament” from a military-technical realm to something much wider encouraged new sets of voices to engage with the project, including some of Europe’s national minorities. The article discusses how the members of the European Congress of Nationalities attempted to contribute their expertise and perspectives.

Same Citizens, Divergent Views: Ethnicity, Religion, and Political Attitudes in Georgia

Aprasidze, David; Gagua, Malkhaz; Tugushi, Lasha

Majority and minority populations often exhibit asymmetric attitudes toward national issues. Yet, the extent to which these attitudinal gaps are shaped by the interplay of ethnic and religious affiliations - especially when these identity dimensions intersect - remains insufficiently understood. This study examines such asymmetries in Georgia, a country with significant ethnic and religious minority populations. Drawing on original 2024 survey data from three regions - Kvemo Kartli (home to Muslim Azerbaijanis), Samtskhe-Javakheti (home to Armenian [Apostolic] Christians), and Adjara (home to Muslim [ethnic] Georgians) - we systematically compare minority attitudes with those of the Orthodox Christian Georgian majority. We argue that divergence in national attitudes is most pronounced among the “double minority” (i. e. the Muslim Azerbaijanis), who differs from the majority in both ethnic and religious terms, while “single minorities”, who share one identity dimension - especially ethnicity - exhibit closer alignment to the majority population. The analysis also considers how socio-economic factors - such as language proficiency, education, and income - may reinforce or mitigate identity-based attitudinal gaps.

Identitätsvorstellungen der „Banater Schwaben“ in historischer Sicht

Identity Concepts of the “Banat Swabians” from a Historical Perspective

Sterbling, Anton

This article analyzes the development of collective identity concepts among the Banat Swabians from a longer-term historical perspective. The period under consideration extends from the settlement of Germans in the Banat at the beginning of the 18th century to the emigration of the majority of the Banat Swabians to the Federal Republic of Germany in the second half of the 20th century. The analysis is guided by modernization theory, with particular attention to aspects of social and psychological mobilization and the historical context of modern state and nation-building. The historical-empirical approach aims to demonstrate that, for a long time, well into the 20th century, the identity concepts of the Banat Swabians were largely shaped by traditional structural conditions, behaviors, and forms of community. However, early on, particularly in the city of Temeswar, there were also signs of modern bourgeois cultural developments. Three pivotal historical events are considered: the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the First World War, and the Second World War, along with their respective consequences.

Spracherhalt als Statusfrage. Sprachplanungsmaßnahmen alpindeutscher Minderheiten in Friaul-Julisch Venetien zwischen symbolischer Repräsentation und Transmission

Language Preservation as a Status Issue. Language Planning Measures of Alpine German Minorities in Friuli-Venezia Giulia between Symbolic Representation and Transmission

Semmelmann, Stefan

This article examines historical and current measures to preserve the Alpine German minority languages in Zahre (Sauris), Plodn (Sappada), and Tischlbong (Timau) in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, from the perspective of language status planning. Despite centuries of transmission of these South Bavarian varieties, the linguistic minorities are in the midst of a language shift to Italian and Friulian. Language preservation thus becomes a question of status, as language transmission depends on attitudes toward and opportunities for using minority languages. The contrastive analysis distinguishes between language-representative and communication-oriented measures with a potential contribution to intergenerational transmission. It is shown that the measures create symbolic visibility, but hardly any stable communication contexts and domains.

Neue Minderheiten im Kanaltal (Valcanale), Friaul? Die Präzisierung autochthoner Sprachgruppen

New Minorities in the Valcanale, Friuli? The Clarification of Autochthonous Linguistic Groups

Steinicke, Ernst; Čede, Peter; Jelen, Igor

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the spatial expansion and differentiation of autochthonous ethnolinguistic minorities in the Valcanale, located in the north-eastern part of Friuli (Italy). By doing so, it seeks to address and correct inconsistencies and ambiguities in previous representations. The results, derived from a synthesis of older academic literature, recent publications and original field surveys, clearly indicate that Friulians should be considered as an autochthonous minority in Valcanale. Following World War II, they already constituted the numerical majority of the population in the region. For about a decade now, the Friulians have met the criteria for recognition as an autochthonous ethnolinguistic minority. Pontebba, a municipality partially situated in Valcanale, was the first to respond to acknowledge this status. In compliance with Italian State Law n. 482/1999, Pontebba introduced bilingual place-name signs, visually representing the expansion of the Friulian-speaking area. As a second finding, this study is the first to examine the Ratečani Slovenes, a group originating from the Carniolan village of Rateče who settled permanently on the Fusine plateau (now part of the easternmost Valcanale) around 1898. These Slovenes maintain ongoing social contacts with the neighbouring municipality of Rateče in the Republic of Slovenia. Despite their long-standing presence, the Ratečani Slovenes have been unregistered by Italian authorities for decades and overlooked in academic literature. They differ from the Kanalčani - the Valcanale Slovenes - due to their distinct historical, social, and linguistic development.

Die Europeada: Eventisierung von Zugehörigkeit im Fußball am Beispiel der Lausitzer Sorben

The Europeada: Eventisation of Belonging in Football Using the Example of the Lusatian Sorbs

Naglo, Kristian

The article explores the production of cultural meaning and belonging of the Sorbian minority in the context of the so called Europeada. The Europeada is the European Football Championship of the autochthonous national minorities in Europe. The tournament is a hybrid event, as it combines the emphasis on playing football with the political and cultural concerns of the autochthonous, national minorities. The aim here is to address the relevance of this everyday life space for the Sorbian minority, regarding its symbolic meaning in a multilingual setting and concepts of cultural difference with (g)local, national and European references. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork of the last Europeada in 2024, the Sorbian case study shows the explicit goal of a minority to secure its ‘future’ and language in the context of crisis, precisely in the engagement with the realm of sport and the incentive to re-define its own identity.

Macedonian Minorities in the Balkans and the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Language Preservation

Jordanov, Gordan

Macedonian minorities in Southeast Europe represent one of the most politically sensitive and least institutionally protected minority language communities in contemporary Europe. Despite their autochthonous presence in Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, and Serbia, Macedonians experience uneven legal recognition, limited linguistic protection, and restricted access to education and media in their mother tongue. This article outlines a few key points of the geographic distribution, demographic contours, legal status, and language transmission practices of Macedonian minority communities and argues that digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can serve as complementary tools for language preservation where institutional support is limited or absent - without substituting state responsibility or minority rights protections (Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the Council of Europe).

The Status of the Hungarian Minority in Transcarpathia: On a Recent Book

Leno, Pavlo

This review article examines the collective monograph Struggle for Survival: The Transcarpathian Hungarians (1944-2022) in the context of the Hungarian minority’s history and current situation in Transcarpathia. The book provides a nuanced perspective on the challenges faced by Hungarians amidst shifting political regimes, including Soviet and Ukrainian periods, and considers the broader ethnic mosaic of the region. Attention is given to the impacts of war, polarization, and changes in minority rights, with a focus on both historical and contemporary developments. The review highlights the strengths of the book’s factual detail and thematic structure, while also critiquing some of its subjective interpretations and limited engagement with non-Hungarian viewpoints.