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Georgia and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 42
Ziel der Europäischen Charta der Regional- und Minderheitensprachen ist es, die Sprachen als einen einzigartigen Bestandteil des kulturellen Erbes Europas zu bewahren und ihren Gebrauch im Bereich des Rechts, der Schulen, des öffentlichen, kulturellen, wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Lebens sowie der Medien zu fördern. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Bewahrung der sprachlichen Vielfalt in Georgien und stellt zunächst die Regelungen des zweiten Teils der Charta dar, in welchem allgemeine Zielsetzungen und Grundsätze zum Schutz der Regional- und Minderheitensprachen formuliert werden. Die Regelungen des dritten Teils der Charta werden anschließend auf den Fall Georgiens bezogen und für folgende Bereiche näher untersucht: Bildung, Justizverwaltung, Verwaltungsbehörden und öffentliche Dienstleistung, Medien, Kultur, Wirtschaftsleben und grenzüberschreitender Austausch. Im Anhang des Beitrags wird die Europäische Charta der Regional- und Minderheitensprachen im Wortlaut wiedergegeben. (ICI)
Ossetians in Georgia: in the wake of the 2008 war
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 45
Der Beitrag befasst sich ausführlich mit der gegenwärtigen Situation und den Lebensbedingungen der Minderheitengruppe der Osseten in Georgien. Es werden zunächst die demographischen Entwicklungen und die Siedlungsgebiete der Osseten in Georgien dargestellt. Dabei wird deutlich, dass vor dem Südossetien-Konflikt seit 1989 mehr als zwei Drittel der Bevölkerung Südossetiens ethnische Osseten und nur 25-30% der Bevölkerung Georgier waren. In einem weiteren Kapitel werden die Integrationsprozesse der Osseten in die georgische Gesellschaft beschrieben. Der Hauptteil der Studie widmet sich den Migrationsprozessen in der ossetischen Gemeinschaft, die durch den Kaukasus-Krieg 2008 ausgelöst wurden, und ihrem Einfluss auf die ossetisch-georgischen Beziehungen in Politik, Wirtschaft, Kultur und Gesellschaft. Die Studie beruht auf Feldforschungen in zahlreichen georgischen Dörfern und bezieht auch Befragungsergebnisse aus Erhebungen des European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) von 2002 mit ein. Ein umfangreicher Tabellenanhang informiert unter anderem über die Siedlungsstrukturen der Osseten und die geographische Verteilung der Bevölkerungsgruppe in Städten und Gemeinden. (ICI)
The integration of national minorities in the Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli provinces of Georgia
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 44
'This paper aims to explore the extent to which national minorities in the Georgian provinces of Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti are integrated into the economic and political life of Georgia and to investigate how government policy in the aftermath of the Rose Revolution of November 2003 has affected the relationship between the state and minority communities in these two regions. It is divided into eight parts. First I provide a general overview of the main characteristics of the population of the two provinces in terms of ethnicity and language use. The second part turns to the economy of the two regions, focusing on both agricultural and industrial production. The next section turns to state-society relations by showing how government policy in the fields of education, local government, infrastructure and economic development has impacted upon the integration of national minorities in the two provinces. The fourth section explores in greater depth the modes of local governance in the two municipalities of Samtskhe-Javakheti (Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda, collectively known as Javakheti) and the five municipalities of Kvemo Kartli (Gardabani, Marneuli, Bolnisi, Dmanisi and Tsalka) in which members of national minorities are concentrated, by identifying the main power brokers in these municipalities and by looking at how local power structures have changed in the last five years. The following part focuses on the process of migration and includes both permanent migration of Georgians and members of national minorities within Georgia and to destinations beyond the country's borders, as well as seasonal migration abroad. The sixth part deals with the issue of land distribution, which has been a contentious one in both provinces. The seventh section is the final substantive part of the paper; it takes the 'view from below' by looking at the most salient issues from the point of view of members of national minorities that live in the two provinces. The paper then closes with a short conclusion.' (excerpt)
Institutions of Georgia for governance on national minorities: an overview
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 43
'This paper aims to discuss the institutional set-up around civil integration and minority protection issues in Georgia since the 'Rose Revolution', and the study reviews the state structures relevant for governance and legislative practices on civil integration and minority issues. It seeks to provide an overview of the institutional problems that beset civic integration by presenting a brief outline of the history and responsibilities of the relevant state bodies and analyzing some of the problems in the current institutional arrangements. The research for this paper has been conducted by way of consultations and interviews with the representatives of the bodies concerned, both executive and legislative. Use is also made of official documents, principally the mandates, constituting decrees, legal documents and regulations of the bodies covered by our research. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section examines the emergence of institutional structures for handling minority issues during Shevardnadze's rule and discusses the institutional changes and cabinet reshuffles after the 'Rose Revolution', reviewing all of the nine reshuffles since 2004. The second section describes the current mandates and activities of minority policy related bodies at the executive level of governance, while the third section presents some of the key activities and work of the legislative body in relation to minorities. The paper contains four annexes: one describing a few temporary bodies that existed for a short time after the 'Rose Revolution', two sets of tables that graphically outline the institutional development of the government bodies from 2004 to the present and the text of the National Concept for Tolerance and Civil Integration.' (excerpt)|
Representation and democracy in Eurasia's unrecognized states: the case of Transnistria
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 40
Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht, wie verschiedene institutionelle Mechanismen für die legislative Repräsentation die ethnische und soziale Zusammensetzung der gesetzgebenden Versammlung beeinflussen. Das Papier liefert zuerst ein Gesamtbild der ethnischen Repräsentativität des rumänischen Parlaments. Dabei beschäftigt es sich mit der Proportionalität der ethnischen Repräsentation und diskutiert kurz, wie die rumänischen Daten einige der liberal-demokratischen theoretischen Bedenken hinsichtlich der Gerechtigkeit von Mandatsreservierungen für Minderheiten illustrieren. Es wendet sich dann der Diskussion darüber zu, wie Daten über das ethnische Profil der parlamentarischen Vertreter das Herangehen der Mainstream-Parteien an die Rekrutierung von Minderheiten und, allgemeiner, den Wettbewerb um die Unterstützung von Minderheiten erhellen. Der letzte Abschnitt untersucht, wie inklusiv die Abgeordnetengruppen, die durch verschiedene institutionelle Kanäle gewählt wurden, in Bezug auf Geschlecht, beruflichen Hintergrund und andere soziale Merkmale sind. Das Papier fasst am Ende zusammen, was die rumänische Daten über ethnische und soziale Repräsentation aussagen über die Auswirkungen alternativer Wahlmechanismen auf die soziale Inklusion und welche weiteren Beweise erforderlich sind, um Hypothesen zu bestätigen oder zu widerlegen, die durch das Studium der rumänischen Erfahrung entstanden sind. (ICD)
No way out: an assessment of the Romani community in Georgia
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 46
Javakheti after the Rose Revolution: progress and regress in the pursuit of national unity in Georgia
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 38
'Javakheti is situated in the South-East of Georgia, and is densely inhabited by Georgia's second largest national minority, Armenians. In most respects, Javakheti has been more dependent on Russia (in socio-economic terms) and Armenia (in cultural terms) than on its proper state, Georgia, since Georgia gained independence in 1991. Throughout the 1990s the region was often described as a 'potential hot-spot', yet another possible breakaway region in the Caucasus. This working paper will look into whether the situation has started to change in terms of whether Javakheti is now closer to becoming an integrated part of Georgia, given that territorial unity has been one of the main priorities of the Georgian government since the 'Rose Revolution' of 2003. The aim of this paper is thus to create a better understanding of the challenges that Javakheti faces, in order to facilitate an informed debate on the current situation and the future development of the region. This study is based on more than 50 interviews with local inhabitants, the authorities and other related parties as well as on a review of legal documents and analytical articles during November-December 2006.3 The paper is structured in four main parts. First, the recent socioeconomic developments in Javakheti will be accounted for. Second, the main NGOs and political actors in the region will be identified and the role of Armenia and Russia will be outlined. At the same time, a recent history of power structures will be provided, as well as an analysis of the current lack of a central framework for integration policies in Georgia. Subsequently the consequences of the ongoing local self-governance reforms, the local elections and the government's attempts to create national unity will be analysed. Finally differences in perceptions between Georgians and Armenians will be elaborated on.' (excerpt)
The status of minority languages in Georgia and the relevance of models from other European states
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 26
'The paper will be divided into two sections. The first section will examine how the existing status quo in which Georgian is the only official language in all parts of Georgia outside Abkhazia affects the working of the courts, the local organs of state administration, the media and the education system in Javakheti. It will then assess whether or not the current situation is sustainable. The argument is that, for the present time at least, language use within state bodies in Javakheti corresponds to informal arrangements rather than formal laws. To retain the status quo, I argue, is likely to further entrench these informal practices and may hinder rather than promote integration. The paper then discusses whether it would be possible to somehow tinker with the legislation in order to mitigate these undesirable consequences in the short term while retaining the status of the Georgian language as the only administrative language at all levels of government, or whether some kind of administrative status could be granted to minority languages in those districts (such as Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda) in which national minorities are compactly settled. It then goes on to list certain specific conditions that any new legislative arrangement should meet. The second part of the paper will examine how the issue of minority languages is dealt with in Romania and Croatia, two countries in which the relationship between the majority and minorities has, in recent years, been highly sensitive. I show how in both of these counties, a model has been developed that grants minority languages some kind of official status at local level but falls short of granting these languages full official status at the national level. Both models, I argue, promote bilingualism and encourage integration and may be valuable models for the Georgian government to look to as it elaborates legislation on minority languages.' (excerpt)
Implementing the framework convention for the protection of national minorities in Georgia: a feasibility study
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 28
Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit der Minderheitenpolitik in Georgien. Der erste Teil gibt einen Überblick über den Prozess, der zur Ratifizierung des Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) führt und analysiert die Gründe, warum sich die Unterzeichnung verzögert. Im zweiten Teil geht es um die Prioritätensetzung der georgischen Regierung im Kontext des FCNM. Dabei stehen folgende Fragen im Zentrum: (1) Was ist eine nationale Minderheit? (2) Wie muss mit Minderheiten in der öffentlichen Verwaltung und im Bildungsbereich umgegangen werden? (3) Welche gesetzlichen Bestimmung müssen erlassen werden, um eine Diskriminierung nationaler Minderheiten zu verhindern? Abschließend analysiert der Autor die Probleme und Herausforderungen, die sich im Falle der Ratifizierung für Georgien ergeben. (ICD)
Dukhobors in Georgia: a study of the issue of land ownership and inter-ethnic relations in Ninotsminda rayon (Samtskhe-Javakheti)
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 35
'This working paper is the result of a fact-finding fieldwork mission conducted in August, September and October 2006 in the Ninotsminda rayon (district), in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia. It is based on 70 interviews with local inhabitants, authorities and other related parties as well as legal documents and analytical articles. The intention of the paper is to analyse the current situation in the multi-ethnic rayon of Ninotsminda. Special attention is given to the conditions of the Dukhobors, a Russian ethno-religious group that has inhabited the Ninotsminda rayon since the 1840s. Currently, the future existence of the Dukhobor community is in jeopardy. This paper will work to explain why. A background to Dukhoborian history in Georgia will be provided, as well as a short socio-economic overview for readers who are not familiar with Samtskhe-Javakheti in general and Ninotsminda in particular. In addition, a number of acute problems that have recently arisen for the Dukhobor community in the village of Gorelovka will be accounted for. The paper will also provide recommendations for future actions.' (author's abstract)
Managing ethnic diversity in Javakheti: two European models of multilingual tertiary education
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 25
Die Region Samtskhe-Javakheti in Georgien wird von einer großen Anzahl ethnischer Gruppen armenischen Ursprungs bewohnt, deren 'erste' Sprache armenisch oder russisch ist. Zudem leben kleinere Gruppen russischer Dukhobors, Griechen und Georgier in Javakheti. Neben der sprachlichen und kulturellen Vielfalt zeichnet sich die Region, die zu den ärmsten Gebieten des Landes gehört, durch eine sehr bescheidene zukünftige Wirtschaftsentwicklung aus. Vor diesem Hintergrund befasst sich der Beitrag mit zwei Fragen: Wie kann die Auswanderung der jungen gebildeten Generation verhindert werden? Wie kann der georgische Staat die ethnische Diversität in der höheren Bildung verbessern und das Bildungsangebot für Studenten nationaler Minderheiten attraktiv gestalten? Zur Untersuchung der Aufgabe angemessener Hochschulbildung werden erfolgreiche Lösungsansätze aus zwei Ländern mit ähnlichen Problemen herangezogen. So haben öffentliche und private Institutionen der tertiären Bildung in Mazedonien und Rumänien Bildungspolitiken entwickelt, die auch auf die Situation in Javakheti angewendet werden können. Nach einer Darstellung der Bildungssituation in der georgischen Region wird zunächst die 'Strategie des flexiblen Gebrauchs der Sprachen' aus Mazedonien beschrieben, die an der Südost-Europäischen Universität in Tetovo zum Tragen kommt. Im Anschluss wird ein multikultureller Ansatz präsentiert, welcher an der Babes-Bolyai Universität in Rumänien die ethnische Vielfalt im Bildungsbereich berücksichtigt. Die Ausführungen schließen mit einer Reihe von Empfehlungen für die Ausgestaltung des Bildungswesens in der Region Javakheti, die auf den geschilderten Fallbeispielen basieren. (ICG2)
Defusing conflict in Tsalka district of Georgia: migration, international intervention and the role of the state
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 36
'This paper is divided into three parts. The first section is mainly descriptive; its goal is to provide a general overview of the main economic, demographic, and political trends in Tsalka district from the late Soviet period until the present day. The second section is more analytical; it analyses the real and potential arenas of conflict in the district, namely conflicts between communities and conflicts between communities and the state. It also looks at the impact of international organisations on the conflict dynamic by focusing first on the construction of the BTC pipeline by a consortium led by BP (British Petroleum) and then on the initiative of the Greek government to reduce conflict by supporting local law enforcement bodies and helping to regulate migration. The third and final part will summarise the main causes of conflict in Tsalka district and will provide recommendations for the Georgian government and for the international donor community.' (author's abstract)
Obstacles impeding the regional integration of the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 23
'This report is intended to provide an overview of the current social, economic and political situation in five rayons (districts) of Kvemo Kartli province in south-eastern Georgia: Gardabanirayon, Marneuli rayon, Bolnisi rayon, Dmanisi rayon and Tsalka rayon. By identifying and providing information about the current problems impeding the regional integration of those parts of Kvemo Kartli province in which national minorities are concentrated, this working paper will act as a guide for defining priorities and ensuring more informed intervention in the area.' (excerpt)
Institutionalizing ethnicity in the Western Balkans: managing change in deeply divided societies
In: ECMI Working Paper, Band 19
'Ethnic politics continue to dominate political discourse and institutions in the post-conflict regions of former Yugoslavia (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia). This has rendered these regions dependent on external intervention and blocked or delayed political and economic development, including the process of integration into European and Euroatlantic structures. Some of the post-conflict arrangements have rightfully come under criticism-both from within and outside the region-as obstacles in the normalization of ethnic relations. While the status quo needs revision and a different approach to institutional design is required, this paper argues against abandoning groupbased institutions altogether. Instead, it argues for a more dynamic and processoriented approach to accommodate ever-changing interethnic relations.' (author's abstract)