Description
Book SynopsisThe way we exist in society defines our place in its social structures and reaffirms our belonging, identity, and dignity. Europe is a continent characterized by many internal conflicts and ongoing struggles inside societies. The battlefield is society itself, where state law clashes with ethnic law over the very identity of society. Exploring debates from Scandinavia to Spain about the religious and political autonomy and freedom, this book explains that the violation of the rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, such as the Sami and Basque peoples, remains a problem in Europe. In addition to these political conflicts, Magdalena Butrymowicz analyzes the legal and religious culture within minority ethnic structures themselves. Ultimately, this book raises timely questions about the balance between state control and legal autonomy for ethnic minorities across Europe advocating for a new definition of ethnic law as the right of ethnic minorities, creating their legal and ethnic identity. The book will interest anyone exploring the dynamic between European states and the ethnic minorities that live in them.
Trade ReviewAs an ethnically diverse continent, individual European states host members of the society whose ethnic kinship is different from the country’s titular nation. The distinct identity of ethnic minorities within European countries is realised provided their right to self-determination is guaranteed. The Legal Status and Perspectives of Ethnic Minorities in European States: The Nationality Gambit is a constructive critique advocating for ethnic minority rights to dignity in the context of a uniform legal system called “ethnic law”. It is an excellent read for anyone interested in safeguarding ethnic minority dignity and rights to self-determination in Europe.
-- Veronica Fynn Bruey, Athabasca University
Table of ContentsPart I: Society and the State Together, but Separately - To Be Understood and Redefined in the
Context of the Right to Preserve the Ethnic Identity of Society
Chapter 1: Understanding Society - Redefining Society in the Context of the Right to Respect for
Its Ethnicity
Chapter 2: Understanding Nations - Redefining the Nation in Terms of the Right to Ethnic
Identity
Chapter 3: Understanding and Redefining Ethnic Minority
Chapter 4: Understanding the State through the Rights of Ethnic Minorities
Part II: Ethnic Law in Conflict with State Law
Chapter 5: The Law of the People, The Law of the State
Chapter 6: Ethnic Law
