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Minority protection norms - the setup, the interpretation and the practice

The Justice & Governance Cluster seeks to invest in research and subsequent dissemination of information and knowledge on the ways norms concerning minority protection are set up, translated into practice and interpreted in the course of this translation.

The Cluster opts for the topics which still have significant gaps and deficiencies in the research already done. The projects selected must combine academic novelty with practical significance.

The backbone theoretical issues to be addressed are:

  • Relationships between different ways to conceptualize diversity
  • Limits of applicability for minority protection
  • Relationships between discourses and human behavior in terms of making and implementing decisions
  • Symbolic policies versus instrumental policies
  • Symbolic production - generation of meanings and values.

Contemporary minority rights context

At the same time as issues of norm diffusion and convergence have come to the fore at the macro level with the EU taking a greater role in Europe’s normative regime, aspects of legitimacy and responsibility of protection schemes come to the fore as these are interpreted at the local and regional levels.

[read more]

Public administration capacity is ever more topical. This comes with the change in attention from standard setting to operationalization of minority rights. Governance requires translation of standards through policy design, programme development, knowledge transfer and capacity building as well as monitoring through indicators, targets and benchmarking.

Analytical categories

Minority protection and related notions are categories of practice employed for adjusting nation-building to cultural heterogeneity and vice versa. Taken as categories of analysis they are highly problematic and have a limited applicability.

Despite recent achievements in minority protection standard setting, institutional development still rests on a combination of loose ideas open to different interpretations. Correspondingly, the ways they are translated into practice vary significantly. Moreover, ideas under the headline of minority protection can be abused and misused in some circumstances.

This is the complexity that inspires the work of the Justice & Governance Cluster.

Team

  • Alexander Osipov
  • Ugo Caruso
  • Andreea Carstocea

Affiliated Experts

Farimah Daftary

David Galbreath

Fernand de Varennes

Kristin Henrard

Malte Brosig

Balasz Vizi

Jennifer Jackson Preece

Levente Salat

Kinga Gal

Cluster News

ECMI Annual Programme

Online now: ECMI Annual Programme 2013

The 'Annual Programme' of the ECMI is now online. The publication describes ECMI’s main initiatives and ideas in research and action for 2013. [more]
Alexander Osipov

Bridging Belarus

Only few people care, but those few receive us as if we are building a bridge to Belarus, explains Dr. Osipov in this interview. A constructive approach to dialogue on minority governance is the key. [more]
ECMI Announcements

Conference: “The Challenge of Non-Territorial Autonomy” on 9-10 November in Belfast

European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) and partners are preparing for the multidisciplinary conference this weekend. A draft programme of 'The Challenges of Non-Territorial Autonomy' is now available. [more]
ECMI Announcements

Call for Applications: Two months paid internship at the European Centre for Minority Issues

European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) is looking to nominate a candidate of Romani background for two months paid internship at its headquarters in Flensburg, Germany. [more]

ECMI founders:

The German Federal GovernmentThe German
Federal Government
The Danish GovernmentThe Danish
Government
The Federal State Schleswig-HolsteinThe Federal State
Schleswig-Holstein