The Tatars and The Basque

1
The Tatars and The Basque

• The Strengths and Weaknesses of Semi-Autonomous
  Minorities
• By Cara Toolan, Heidi Boon, Elizabeth Carlson

2
Outline

• Tatars
• Basque
• Parallels
• Background
• History
• Nationalism and Oppression
• Culture
• Economics
• Language Laws
• Education
• Compare and Contrast these policies to their
  strengths as a minority group

3
Language and Nationalism in Tatarstan

• The Role of Sub-State Autonomy in Language Policy

4
Tatarstan

• 450 miles east of Moscow, Population 3.5 million
• Ethnicity 48.5 Tatars, 43.3 Russians

5
Tatar Demographics

• Largest ethnic minority group in Russia
• Tatars outside Tatarstan
• Language Diaspora throughout former USSR and China

6
Tatar Language

• Altaic Turkic Western Uralian
• Multiple Alphabets
• Pre-9th century Orkhon alphabet

7
Arabic alphabet 9th century to 1920
8
Ja?alif1927-1939 modified Latin alphabet
9
Cyrillic Alphabet 1939 Stalin switches
alphabets to limit Turkic contact
10
Return to Turkism2001 Tatarstan reestablishes
Latin alphabet, ongoing battle with Russian
government
11
History

• Bulgar state
• 922 Islam
• 13th century Mongol-Tatar conquest
• Kazan Khanate
• Ivan the Terrible
• Spread of Tatars throughout Russia

12
Soviet Autonomy

• Autonomous republics under SU semi-sovereign
  areas with their own constitution and government
• Bolshevik Revolution push for cultural autonomy
• 1920 Tatar ASSR, 1/3 of Tatars
• Relatively high level of autonomy

13
Post-Soviet Autonomy

• Tatar ASSR? Republic of Tatarstan in 1991,
  Mintimer Shaimiev
• Support for coup
• Sovereignty Declaration
• Referendum
• Tax revenues
• Constitution of 1992 and Treaty-like Agreements
  with RF in 1994
• Federal Treaty of 1992

14
Rise of Nationalism

• Tatar as inferior
• Language switching
• Role of the intelligentsia
• Strong Tatar national movement 1988
• Protests
• Tatar homeland and identity
• Language
• Pan-Turkism

15
Linguistic and Cultural Factors

• Language and Literature
• Jadidis promoted Tatar in Quranic schools
• Islam separation
• Language of diplomacy
• Perestroika and Glasnost media, liberalization,
  cultural renewal

16
Economic Factors

• 18th-19th centuries merchants
• OIL
• Industrialization
• Strong economy

17
Language Laws

• 1937 Constitution
• 1992 Law on Languages of the Peoples of Tatarstan
• 1994 non-Tatars must learn Tatar
• Statistics at time of language law
• 1 of Russians spoke Tatar
• 96.6 of Tatars said Tatar was their native
  language
• 77 of Tatars spoke Russian fluently

18
More Laws

• Bilingual requirements Government business,
  laws, signs, place names, media, courts,
  industry, public transport, and cultural and
  scientific institutions
• 1993 decree Tatar library increases,
  broadcasting/printing of Tatar language learning
  materials
• 1994 language plan professions, bonuses, Tatar
  national state university, adult education, Tatar
  place names

19
Soviet Education

• Strong history of education
• Soviet centralization of education
• National schools
• Kazan State University and Tatar Institute of
  Language, Literature, and Culture

20
Post-Soviet Education

• Education and nationalism
• Science Academies
• Textbooks
• Republican curriculum

21
Education Results

• Teacher training
• Oversight
• Successes new schools, increase in study of
  Tatar
• Non-Tatar response
• Russian government response

22
Basque Country (Euskal Herria)

• approximately 20,000 square kilometers
• population 2.5 million
• 1512 territory divided between Spain and France
• Hegoalde (Spain) Iparralde (France)
• 90 of Basque population in Spain

23
Basque Demographics

• Spain Alava, Guipúzcoa, Navarra and Vizcaya
• France Labourd, Basse Navarre and Soule
• Many Basques do not acknowledge the border

24
Basque Language

• Language isolate
• Only survivor language from what was spoken in
  Europe before arrival of Indo-European
  (approximately 4,000 years ago)
• Very distinct language more incentive to fight
  against assimilation into Spanish/French society
• 30-40 of ethnic Basque speak the language

25
History

• Mid 1100s Foral Laws spread to Basque country
• Governing council of free males (right to tax,
  mobilize soldiers, review laws of central
  government)
• Corregidor Kings representative in each
  province
• Isolated the provinces from central rule
• Late 1700s Basque language was becoming
  socially and culturally marginalized, linked with
  peasants
• mid 1800s many Basque in the larger cities
  distanced themselves from Basque localism
  wanted to be part of Spanish for economic and
  social reasons

26
Rise of Nationalism

• 1839 Basque provincial governments met to plan a
  common front against Madrid
• Rebellion of 1841 Basques revolted - wanted
  Spanish government to favor their region
• 1859-60 Spanish war vs. North Africa (Basque
  were so slow to supply troops and money that the
  war was already over by the time they did)
• 1876 Foral system ended-Basques lost rights

27
Nationalism, cont.

• 1895 Sabino de Arana started the Nationalist
  Basque Party (PNV)
• Main supporters were from urban areas and didnt
  speak Basque
• 1936 Basque provinces given autonomy
• Fought against intermarriage with non-Basques
• Fought to expel non-Basque from Basque country

28
Franco Dictatorship 1939-1975

• June 19, 1937 Basque autonomy ended under Franco
• use of Basque/Catalan banned
• Basque organizations went underground or were
  exiled
• 1979 Statute of Autonomy Basque declared
  co-official with Spanish
• Post Franco campaigns for the Basque language
  restarted

29
Culture

• predominantly oral culture
• romantic ballads, war songs, singing at marriages
  and funerals
• 1545 first Basque text by Priest Bernard
  Dechepara from Iparralde (collection of religious
  and bawdy poems)
• 1500s-1700s other religious texts published-most
  of them in Iparralde (province where literate
  Basque culture emergered )

30
Economic Factors

• Castillian expansion increasing demand for iron
  weapons and sailing vessels
• 1500s 3 Western provinces became import/export
  centers because of their location on trade routes
• Navarra (landlocked) began to decline
  economically- remains agricultural region with
  little industry/trade
• 1957-1967 Spanish economy grew an average of 9
  a year
• Basque provinces ranked among the highest in
  Spain per capita income
• Basque economy very integrated into Spanish
  economy

31
Language

• Basque Studies Society (1918) created Language
  Academy
• Old strategy rid Basque of Spanish loan words
• New strategy to improve social status of Basque
  by teaching Basque to children as cultural
  responsibility, not only a tradition
• Post Franco TV, radio, newspaper, music
  industry, cultural institutions
• 1983 Law of Normalization of Basque gave
  priority to Basque speakers for certain jobs
• Basque-speaking council members use translators
  at meetings (even though they speak Spanish)
• insist that it is their political right and a
  social necessity to speak their language in the
  public sphere
• Many political leaders begin their speeches with
  a few Basque words (even if cant speak Basque)
  to show their support for language equality

32
Education

• 1856 law to centralize public education
• First attempt to bring regional education under
  national control
• Municipal governments fought for Basque-speaking
  teachers
• This petition was rejected
• 1876 after 2nd Carlist War-Fueros taken away, no
  Basque in schools
• Post Franco institution of many Basque language
  schools academies

33
Comparison

• What helped and hurt the Tatars and Basque to
  maintain their group identity?

34
Background

• Relatively large for minority language group
• Not similar to the dominant language
• Not assimilated as easily
• Turkic diaspora

35
History

• Long language history
• Created solidarity before oppression
• Gave claim to autonomy
• Relationship with the state
• Basque dont recognize border
• Try to incorporate all Tatars

36
Oppression and Nationalism

• Basque actively suppressed
• Tatar passively suppressed
• Led to increased nationalism

37
Culture

• Basque oral tradition- preservation
• Religion
• Basque religious texts
• Islam in Tatar
• Identity and Support
• Language protection as a by-product of cultural
  and religious assertions

38
Economics

• Tatars oil
• Funds autonomy
• Basque Iron production
• World Market
• Assimilation

39
Language Laws

• Try to assert through use
• Tatar is one of the most supported minority
  language in Russia
• Increase of bilingual requirements
• Establish language guidelines for protection

40
Education

• Increase of bilingual education requirements for
  Tatars and Basque
• Relying on government enforcing vs. autonomously
  supporting

41
Conclusion

• Tatar and Basque are mostly successful examples
  of minority language groups
• Historically strong identity, favorable economic
  conditions and nationalism all helped them
  survive oppression and reassert themselves within
  a larger context
• Improvements in language laws and education will
  help them continue on this path

42
Bibliography

• Gorenburg, D. P. (2003). Minority ethnic
  mobilization in the russian federation.
  Cambridge New York Cambridge University Press.
• Graney, K. E. (1999). Education reform in
  Tatarstan and Bashkortostan Sovereignty projects
  in post-Soviet Russia. Europe-Asia Studies
  51(4), 611-632.
• Kefeli, A. (2004). Tatar The language of the
  largest minority in Russia. Retrieved November
  11, 2007 from http//www.princeton.edu/turkish/
  aatt/tatar.htm
• Kondrashov, S. (2000). Nationalism and the drive
  for sovereignty in tatarstan, 1988-92 Origins
  and development. New York St. Martin's Press.
• Rosenberg, S. (October 5, 2004). Russia
  reconsiders Cyrillic law. Retrieved November 11,
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  rope/3718174.stm
• Russian Map. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from
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• Tatar. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from
  http//www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?codet
  at
• Tatar alphabet. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from
  http//www.omniglot.com/writing/tatar.htm
• Tatars. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from
  http//www.nupi.no/cgi-win/Russland/etnisk_b.exe?T
  atarian

43
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