A Call of Duty
People can feel a call of duty to fulfil a variety of important or eccentric roles. Some people have extraordinary abilities, others are curious eccentrics who feel drawn towards rather unusual issues. minetTV, for example, tells the story of a Roma princess in Transylvania, or that of the two former mayors of the city of Bolzano – both of whom reached the highest office in the Province’s capital and share very similar minority and migratory backgrounds.
Ethnicity
An ethnicity or an ethnic group is either based on a common past or a common vision for the future. They show similarities in their traditions, language, religion or clothing. Ethnic minorities, however, are ethnic groups that constitute a minority in the territory of a state, which is predominated by another ethnic group. It is also not unusual that an ethnic minority might be scattered over multiple countries across the globe.
History
Many minorities already belong to the realms of history, and there are those that will be history soon. Some people are eager to delve into this past and meticulously unearth the hidden histories of many minorities that beckon to be brought to light. Some minorities have a painful history, and others are caught up again and again by their own past. There are stories everywhere, and they are all worthy of being told.
Society
A society consists of many associations of people or of some people who form a group to pursuit a common goal. Minorities, from a communications perspective, clearly benefit from sharing approaches to problem solving with other minorities within a minority network – a society!
Politics
Politics and minorities – a tricky subject! On the one hand, the smallness of a group emphasises the diversity of a society, on the other hand, the special treatment of minorities does have its limitations. There are minorities that are suppressed, but there are also those who suppress the majority. A complex and kaleidoscopic chapter within a many-sided subject – making it all the more fascinating.
Culture
Minority culture means cultural wealth for the majority. Whether music, literature or fine arts, whether science or zeitgeist – minorities seek and find their own unique perspectives, although these at times remain hidden to the majority. Projects such as schools for minorities, which are based on multilingual education policy, or other measures to preserve a minority‘s cultural life, can eventually lead to a better understanding and improve coexistence between the majority and the minority.
Minority
Minorities are a hot topic! At the beginning of the 21st century, this is increasingly evident because migration phenomena and the diversity debate within Europe result in ever more people facing issues of identity and belonging. In short, the term „minority“ is a complex one and thus elusive. Alongside the frequently used terms „minority“ and „ethnic group“ there is a plethora of adjectives such as old and new, traditional, historic, national or linguistic minority or ethnic group, or autochthon and allochthonous minority, which can sometimes be used synonymously.
Religion
Religious or sectarian minorities originate from a group’s refusal to assimilate to the traditional and, most often, well established religious majority. Migration plays an important role in the history of religious minorities because religious minorities have often been discriminated against or persecuted and have had to flee or emigrate. Freedom of religion might be one of the basic human rights, but, alas, the daily news is filled with stories on religious conflicts and their serious consequences.
Language
Occitan in Calabria, Limburgish in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, or Finnish in Sweden. The European Union’s apparatus even features an office for minority and regional languages, alongside the language offices for every one of the official languages. In Europe, about 46 million people speak less common languages. Origin, vocabulary and syntax of these various minority languages are not only exciting research subjects for linguists, but also form an important body of knowledge for the whole of mankind.
