Language and Ethnicity in Central and Eastern Europe: Some Theoretical Aspects

In: Politicka misao, Band 33, Heft 5, S. 99-107

Abstract

The author defines ethnicity as a community that enables a reproduction of culture, ie, a system of moral regulation within communities. The cultural identity of a community is a means by which it affirms its moral value vis-a-vis others. The elements of culture (language, religion, customs, historical legacy) serve an ethnic community for the purpose of defining borders between them & other communities. Nationalism (particularly in Central & Eastern Europe) makes use of the mobilization of ethnic identities. A prominent role in that process is played by intellectuals, who have monopoly over cultural production, particularly over the imposition & preservation of the language standard. On the background of this theoretical & historical analysis, the author highlights the causes of intensive ethnonationalist conflicts in Central & Eastern Europe. Adapted from the source document.