ECMI Publications Database

Beyond the (Non) Definition of Minority
Author:
Jennifer Jackson-Preece
Pages:
19
Source:
Flensburg: European Centre for Minority Issues
Release Date:
18-02-2014

This Issue Brief aims to analyse past and present definitions of 'minority' in order to evaluate current trends and future opportunities regarding the identification of minority rights holders. In so doing, it assumes that minority identity is part of the broader socio-cultural context. Accordingly, the identity of a minority right holder refers to the attributes and opportunities associated with being a minority, including relationships between individuals and groups, as well as relations between groups. Crucially, it regards these attributes, opportunities and relationships as socially constructed and therefore context / time specific and changeable. The intention here is not to endorse a preferred definition of 'minority', but rather to reflect on how scholars and practitioners should understand use such definitions.

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