Non-territorial autonomy and political community in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe

Smith, D.J. (2013) Non-territorial autonomy and political community in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe. Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe, 12(1), pp. 27-55.

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Abstract

The last two decades have seen the adoption of laws on non-territorial autonomy (NTA) by several states in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), as well as debates on the applicability of this concept to other countries of the region. This development has in turn elicited a growing interest from international organisations in the potential of NTA as a modality of minority rights provision in the New Europe. In spite of this interest, relatively little is known about the practical implementation of NTA within this setting and its reception by ethnonational minorities and majorities alike. This article offers a preliminary comparative analysis of debates and practices around NTA in four countries— Hungary, Romania Estonia and Russia—and seeks to link these cases to broader Central and East European-focused debates on state and nation-building, democratisation and participation in public life. By way of conclusion, it makes a case for further research on NTA ‘from the ground up’, focusing more squarely on the everyday practice of autonomy from a minority perspective and how this might inform and deepen understandings of minority agency within current processes of political community building in CEE and—ultimately—beyond.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Smith, Professor David
Authors: Smith, D.J.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Central and East European Studies
Journal Name:Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe
Publisher:European Centre for Minority Issues
ISSN:1617-5247
ISSN (Online):1617-5247
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2013 European Centre for Minority Issues
First Published:First published in Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe 12(1):27-55
Publisher Policy:Reproduced with the permission of the publisher
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