Pubblicato il fascicolo 17, 3-4 (2024) di EJM

È uscito il volume 17, 3-4 (2024) di EJM. Contiene 5 articoli, 4 articoli di cronaca e 5 recensioni: biblioscout.net/journal/ejm/17/3-4

Böhm, Márton József

The minority protection regulations of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference – Paving the way for minority protection in Europe?

Beitrag, page 195 - 217

This article investigates the extent to which the minority protection regulations established at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, along with the subsequent League of Nations protection system, laid the groundwork for international minority protection in Europe. It provides a detailed examination of the League of Nations’ binding minority protection regulations and procedures, with an example on Romania’s minority policies between the two World Wars. After addressing the League’s system’s ultimate failure, the article assesses its pioneering role in the evolution of post-World War II minority protection standards and evaluates the broader implications of these early 20th century frameworks for contemporary European minority rights systems. The study concludes that while the League’s system had significant flaws, it created a foundational legal and moral precedent for protecting minority rights on an international scale.

Skordos, Adamantios Theodor

How three Southeast European Minority Disputes Shaped International Law in the Interwar Period

Beiträge, page 218 - 241

This article examines the impact of the jurisprudence of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) on international law by focusing on three advisory opinions. The three Southeast European disputes discussed here, which the PCIJ dealt with in the interwar period, marked important progress in the field of international minority protection. In all three cases, the PCIJ ruled in favour of the minorities and against the “state of residence” by giving precedence to international over national law. This was a clear sign to the states that the guarantee of minority rights and the observance of obligations towards minorities are no longer exclusively an internal matter. One of the three minority disputes presented here concerns the Greek-Turkish population exchange, which was decided in the framework of the negotiations for the Lausanne Treaty of July 1923. The other two disputes refer to the Greek minorities in Bulgaria and Albania, in particular compensation issues for property left behind by members of the Greek minority who emigrated to Greece (due to a population transfer agreement between Athens and Sofia) and the Albanian government’s attempt to close minority schools.

Pekesen, Berna

„Events“, „riot“ or pogrom? The expulsion of Jews from European Turkey in 1934

Beitrag, page 242 - 260

This article examines the pogrom against Jews and their subsequent expulsion from European Turkey in 1934, asking how this escalation of violence came about. Various explanatory approaches are explored, among them the prominent macro-historical perspective in research that highlights the homogenization impulse of the nation-state as an enabling condition for the pogrom. Focusing on the local level, the author draws attention to the roles of local authorities and perpetrators - both those at the decision-making level, including the desk perpetrators, and those who actually laid hands on the Jews and their possessions. Without downplaying the role of ideologies such as anti-Semitism, ethno-nationalism, and racism, the complex interplay of politics, social issues, and situational triggers that enabled the pogrom to occur is highlighted.

Zelepos, Ioannis

Fifty years of a divided Cyprus. An unresolved ethnic conflict on the edge of Europe

Beitrag, page 261 - 275

Cyprus, which has been divided since the coup against president Makarios and Turkish invasion in 1974, is now the oldest unresolved ongoing conflict between two nations in Europe: the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. The essay outlines the genesis of the crisis in the context of Greek-Turkish relations since the 19th century and the regional causes. The status quo without a peace agreement but with UN peacekeeping forces along the demarcation lines has become an accepted everyday reality for the residents of both parts of the island, without that the danger of renewed escalation would really be averted. Central areas of conflict include the presence of the Turkish army in the north of the island, the Turkish colonization policy since 1974 after the massive displacement of population on both sides of the demarcation line, as well as the effects of other international conflicts on the island.

Ijssennagger-van der Pluijm, Nelleke

Medieval Dynamics of Minority Languages and Cultures in Europe: A Case Study of Calabrian-Greeks and the Dynamics of the Norman Period.

Beiträge, page 276 - 288

This article addresses the Calabrian Greek(s) and the impact of the Norman period on the history of becoming and sustaining a minority. Based on secondary literature analysis and field work interviews, it argues that the processes seen in the Norman period contributing to the minority situation today, should be understood in a wider medieval context. The processes of formation and consolidation of territorial and religious power, geographical circumstance and the negotiation of socio-cultural identities are amongst the dynamics that are fundamentally contributing to the Greek minority in Norman context, but also can help our understanding of medieval European processes and strategies more generally.

Videsott, Paul

“A minority is not the majority” – Definitional Issues Related to Minorities

Chronik, page 289 - 310

This article discusses definitional aspects of the concept of minority. In order to determine who the beneficiaries of special measures of protection might be, a definition of ‘minority’ is needed. As ‘minority’ derives from the idea of “smaller number”, it is helpful to understand also of how many people a minority consists in order to propose and implement targeted and affirmative measures for its protection. The wording of Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is valid under international law, seems too general for the practical implementation of affirmative measures, at least in the European context. For this reason, a narrower definition of minority is advanced here for the purposes of an European policy, starting from the proposals of Capotorti and Duchênes, and stressing the importance of autochthony.

Zanello, Gabriele

The Missale Romanum in Friulian language: the embarrassing matter of an authorisation that is still a long time coming

Chronik, page 311 - 323

Over the last three centuries, Friulian has had an almost continuous use in the religious sphere, despite critical moments such as the twenty-year fascist period. Alongside catechesis, preaching, personal and community prayer and devotional singing, its more specifically liturgical use has also expanded since the Second Vatican Council. The awakening of the cultural and linguistic consciousness of the Friulian minority, which had already taken place after World War II, experienced a moment of particular fervour after the 1976 earthquake. The tragic events of that year also stimulated ecclesial reflection on local languages in liturgical worship. However, this practice is now in danger of suffering a serious setback, since the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference, gathered in Assisi for the 78th extraordinary general assembly, in the vote held on 15 November 2023 failed to reach the quorum necessary to approve the Friulian translation of the Roman Missal; consequently, Friulian Catholics are still denied the right to use their own language at all times during liturgical celebrations. The full liturgical use of Friulian language is therefore still in a stalemate; it is feared that the slowness of the procedures could definitively undermine a process that is important not only for Friulian Catholics, but for the entire minority language community.

Manifesto against the linguicide of the regional language of Alsace

Chronik, page 324 - 330

On 2 April 2024, the Initiative Citoyenne Alsacienne ICA / Elsässische Bürgerinitiative für Einheit in Vielfalt (Alsatian Citizens’ Initiative for Unity in Diversity) submitted its manifesto against the linguicide of the regional language of Alsace to the President of the French Republic, Emanuel Macron. The Alsatian Citizens’ Initiative for Unity in Diversity is, according to its own description, a think tank that embeds its political philosophy in the principles of unification in diversity and post-nationalism. Its regionalism is liberal-democratic and not ethno-nationalist, and its Europeanism is federalist. The ICA has several hundred members, including many elected representatives, and is followed by a large number of sympathisers. The article reproduces a letter of the ICA to the French President Macron and the submitted manifesto.

Oliveira, Janine; Rebelatto, Juliana; Gomez-Jackson, Delaney

Motorola Launches the First Ladin Language Smartphone Interface: Questions and Answers

Chronik, page 331 - 345

On June 4th, 2024, Motorola was the first smartphone manufacturer to launch smartphones with a Ladin language interface. Ladin is the first language spoken in Europe to be implemented in the framework of Motorola and Lenovo Foundation’s Digital Inclusion of Endangered Indigenous Languages Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to revitalize endangered indigenous languages since language is key to the preservation of culture. The project has already created interfaces in Nheengatu (Amazon region) and Kaingang (South/Southeast Brazil), Cherokee (North America), Kuvi and Kangri (India) and Māori (New Zealand). In collaboration with UNESCO, we produced a whitepaper, “Hello indigenous,” in which the parameters for the inclusion of indigenous languages on smartphones were defined. This article presents - in the form of Q&As (questions and answers) - the Motorola and Lenovo Foundation project to include minority languages in their smartphones. It also provides basic information on the current situation of the Ladin language and culture, as well as the question of why Ladin was chosen to represent the European minority languages in the first phase of this project.