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The Eurasian Politician - July 2004
Arno Tanner (ed.): The Forgotten Minorities of Eastern Europe: The
history and today of selected ethnic groups in five countries.
East-West Books, Helsinki. [1]
Reviewed by Kurtmolla Abdulganiyev, 11 July 2004
The reviewer is from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of
Sciences.
Those who follow developments of minority related issues in former socialist countries, in terms of legal mechanisms and policies conducted by governments, would certainly pay attention to the book "The Forgotten Minorities of Eastern Europe". It puts under scrutiny five cases of ethnic minorities contemporary predicament: the Crimean Tatars of Ukraine (by Anssi Kullberg), the Roma of Ukraine and Belarus (by Arno Tanner), the Csangos of Romanian Moldavia (by Silviu Miloiu), the Roma of Serbia and Montenegro (by Peter Sandelin), and finally the Vlachs of the Republic of Macedonia (by Tanja Tamminen).
All articles concentrate on the central problem, namely on the success (understood very generally as economic well-being of its members and adaptation/integration to the society) and survival of the minority, presenting its treatment by the government, its socio-economic status, the extent of political integration, and human rights development.
The book is written from the political science perspective, enriched with sociological analysis. The unquestionable value of this book lays in the richness of information it provides on every ethnic minority under discussion: each presentation proceeds from history and historical debates on the origins of a given group to the description of today's state of affairs. All essays portray populations that do not have kin states, and thus shed new light on the statuses and conditions of such minorities in post-communism, focusing on factors that account for their success and survival. Often based on English-language literature, a vast scope of Internet resources and policy papers, the articles present well-organized data on different aspects of minorities' relations with the government, current socio-economic problems of minority groups, and on human rights violations.
At the same time the book's constituting parts are heterogenous in terms of approaches, problems they raise and conclusions they reach. Indeed, the cases themselves differ in terms of the degree of conflict with larger society, government strategy toward them, and adaptation to economic and political environments of related states. Every article in the book has a clue according to which the current predicament of minority is presented: (1) in case of Crimean Tatars this clue is geopolitical game played by Russia and Ukraine, (2) the situation of Roma in Belarus and Ukraine is dependent on policy changing from patronizing protectionism in the USSR to economic and political laissez-faire in independent Ukraine; (3) the situation in Romania's Csangos is a product of battles between Hungarian and Romanian historians, (4) Roma predicament in Serbia and Montenegro for the most part is a result of wars and government weakness; finally, (5) the case of the Vlachs poses an intriguing question: do successful stateless minorities tend to assimilate?
The book should certainly be read by readers interested in the process of identity construction. It focuses heavily on the role of external factors in identity building, unfortunately often passing over in silence the internal discussions of identity. With clarity and huge factographic base, the volume analyses state policies as well as historiographic battles intended to prove historical linkages tying particular minorities to contemporary state. The construed character of identities is best reflected in the discussions about the names of minorities (e.g., Crimean Tatars want to rename themselves in order not to be confused with other Tatar nations in former USSR, and to emphasize their ties to Crimea as their only homeland). However, readers looking for deeper sociological theory in this book may be disappointed by the superficiality and overly descriptive character of individual contributions.
"The Forgotten Minorities of Eastern Europe" is a highly informative and well-written book. It seeks to fill an informational gap in scientific literature on numerically small stateless ethnic groups. The material is selected and arranged in a way which enables the reader to use it for comparative analysis – cases presented in the collection permit us to reflect on factors determining success and survival of minorities. The book certainly offers good reference material for social movement students intrigued by the questions why only some groups form the ethnic movement; what factors make the movement successful and; what makes the movement non-violent (all minorities discussed in the book use non-violent means in pursuing their goals). A careful reading of the book may provide food for reflection on the real meaning and function of nationality-related questions used by population censuses, on the influence of forced deportation on identity, and on the role played by the NGOs and international organizations in contemporary ethnic movements.
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To order the book, contact "East-West Books", Hollantilaisentie 9 B 14, FIN-00330 Helsinki, Finland, or e-mail: arno.tanner @ kolumbus.fi