Endangered peoples of Europe. Struggles to survive and thrive

Book abstract:

This book focuses on different ethnic groups in Europe who find themselves or their cultures threatened and outlines their responses to these threats. A recurring theme of the book is that of ethnic groups competing for increased access to limited resources. This leads to economic competition, which becomes tied to religious identity and political processes that, in some cases, leads to armed conflict. The book shows how political policies are then often used to lessen diversity and encourage homogeneity. A recurring question in the book is should, could or can nation states be ethnically homogenous?

The book focuses on twelve ethnic groups: the Armenians of the Western Diaspora; the Basques; the Catalans; the Cypriots; the French Algerians; the Macedonian minority in Northern Greece; the Northern Irish; the Rusyn of the Carpathians; the Scottish Highlanders; the Slovaks; the Tyroleans of Austria; and the former Yugoslavians. Each section includes a cultural overview, followed by a section outlining the threats faced by each individual ethnic group and how these have been reacted to. Each section ends with a set of questions on the chapter and a resource guide with selected publications, videos, websites, and useful addresses.

Jean S. Forward is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts. The contributors are anthropologists or specialists in the topic from a range of European and American universities.

• Primary Source