Online Talk "Can Minority Non-Territorial Autonomy Work in Practice?" Will Be Held on 9 June
Participation is one of the core pillars of minority protection. It does not only underpin preservation of minority identity, but also secures integration of a wider society. There are various channels for minority participation, with autonomy arrangements being one of them. Moreover, autonomy as a concept is perceived as a valuable tool for (internal) self-determination of minority groups that can ease sovereignty claims and prevent the risk of never-ending redrawing of state borders along ethnic lines. In the past decade(s), the concept of non-territorial minority autonomy has gained renewed attention in the academic literature, as a potentially effective means for decoupling ethnicity and territory, for addressing the need of minorities for internal self-determination, and, at the same time, preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state, thus keeping the dominant paradigm of the “nation state” intact.
Although the developed theoretical models appear tempting as offering solutions for some challenging minority situations throughout Europe, the practical effects of the non-territorial arrangements available in Europe are rather limited. First, non-territorial minority autonomy is not widespread in Europe, and second, the existing non-territorial arrangements barely qualify as autonomy or provide only rudimentary autonomy powers for national minorities. Against this background, this online talk aims to explore potentials of non-territorial autonomy, core practical challenges, and prospects for better practical outreach (both widening and deepening) of the concept. It is structured around four main topics: the nexus/tension between the territorial and personal principles in the minority protection; labeling the concept as “autonomy”; membership; and competences: NTA institutions as minority agents.
The online talk will take place on 9 June at 15:00 CET. For more information on how to register and participate, please go to the event sub-page.
