ECMI Infochannel

After decades of strict movement restrictions, socioeconomic and political isolation, widespread male migration has profoundly transformed the lifestyles of the Pomak minority in North-Eastern Greece. Drawing on fieldwork in Pomak villages in Western Thrace, this blog post examines how seasonal male absence triggers notable shifts in minority gender relations and has introduced a new culture of modern consumerism funded by remittances. It argues that despite the excitement of newfound financial freedom, Pomak women are struggling with loneliness, growing jealousies within their communities, and persisting marginalisation in Greek society. Their present-day anxieties have resulted in an unexpected phenomenon: some older Pomak women are nostalgic for the times when they were living under militarised surveillance.

In this blog post, the authors analyse how Catalan language and identity are manifested in the sociolinguistic practices of three football clubs, both at the institutional level and among their fans. The study focuses on Atlético Baleares, Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu, and Villarreal CF, thus allowing to scrutinise lesser-known clubs across various Catalan-speaking territories: the Balearic Islands, the northern district of Barcelona, and the Valencian Community. The results demonstrate that consistent use of Catalan language and cultural references is not necessarily the norm. While Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu represents an exceptional case, characterised by a strong institutional and popular commitment to language and identity, the other two cases present more complex situations. In these instances, Catalan features are much less prominent, and their continuity frequently depends on bottom-up initiatives from the fans.

This blog post examines how the long-standing conceptual debate on the distinction between indigenous peoples and minorities plays out in practice, focusing on the judicialization of rights under international human rights law. It contrasts the separate normative frameworks governing these groups and shows how their boundaries become blurred in the case law of UN treaty bodies, particularly the Human Rights Committee. Drawing on individual communications and state reporting practice, the analysis demonstrates that indigenous peoples are frequently treated as minorities for purposes of legal protection.

The author argues that, while definitions remain contested, their practical significance lies in shaping access to rights and remedies rather than in conceptual purity. At the same time, evolving practice reveals a growing intersection between minority protection and the logic of collective self-governance, pointing to a broader structural issue that invites continued reflection.