MINORITIES AS SOCIAL WEALTH or LESS IS MORE? (the example of ITALY)

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MINORITIES AS SOCIAL WEALTHorLESS IS
MORE?(the example of ITALY)
Tinkara Mihacic, Natasa Sekoranja
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THE SITUATION IN EUROPE

• Europe is a very heterogeneous continent most of
  European countries have one or more minorities on
  their territories (see the map),
• the respect of cultural and linguistic diversity
  is assured by The Universal Declaration of Human
  Rights which states

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• Art. 2
• Everyone is entitled to all the rights and
  freedoms without distinction of any kind, such as
  race, colour, sex, language, religion, political
  or other opinion, national or social origin. ()

• several documents were addopted by the EU bodies
• The European Parliament

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• Resolution on a Community Charter of Regional
  Languages and Culturesand on a Charter of Rights
  of Ethnic Minorities (Arfe Resolution, 1981),
• Resolution on the Languages and Cultures of
  Regional and Ethnic Minorities in the European
  Community (Kuijpers Resolution, 1987),
• Resolution on Rights of Persons Belonging to
  National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic
  Minorities (Killilea Resolution, 1993)

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• The Council of Europe
• European Charter of Regional and Minority
  Languages (1992),
• Framework Convention for the Protection of
  National Minorities (1995).
• all the documents stress that regional or
  minority languages are an expression of cultural
  wealth and have to be promoted in order to
  safeguard them.

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THE SITUATION IN ITALY

• Italy is a member of the EU,
• the State signed the Charter on 27/6/2000 but has
  not ratificated untill today,
• a first step toward the preservation of
  minorities is the Law 482 approved on 15/12/1999

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• Art. 2
• In concordance with the article 6 of the
  Constitution and the general principles addopted
  by the European entities the State preserves the
  language and the culture of the Albanian, Greek,
  Catalan, German, Slovene, French,
  Franco-provençal, Friulan, Ladin, Occitan and
  Sardinian population.

Art. 6 of the Constitution states The State
promotes with special norms the welfare of the
linguistic minorities.
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Figure 1 A frequent presentation of Italian
dialects and other languages.
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Figure 2 A more detailed presentation of the
languages in Italy.
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MINORITY POLICIES A HISTORICAL REVIEW

• 1861 formation of the Kingdom of Italy ? one
  State, one language only the francophone
  population is recognized as minority,
• 1866 with the plebiscite Italy obtained areas
  populated by Slovenes, Germans and Friulans ?
  assimilation is forced,
• the fascism era minority languages were banned
  from schools, administration, media and
  graveyards.

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• Italians were sent to multilingual territories in
  order to change the language structure.
• The post war era the resolution of 6/2/1946
  states that minorities will form up distinctive
  territorial units organized in such way that the
  use of language, development of culture, the
  respect of cultural heritage and traditions and
  local interests will be guaranteed.

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• Territorial units are (regions with special
  statutes)
• Valle dAosta,
• Alto Adige,
• Friuli Venezia Giulia.
• after the Italian economic boom minorities have
  started to die (emigration!),

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OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZEDMINORITIES

• the FRANCOPHONES
• approximately 90.000 persons,
• there are special rights only for the
  Franco-provençal population of Valle dAosta,
• 26/2/1948 (before the Constitution!)
  parification of the Italian and French language,
• all signs are in French although people speak a
  Franco-provençal dialect!

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Figure 3 The official web site of the region
Valle dAosta.
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• ? the GERMANS
• the minority with the most rights,
• approximately 280.000 persons,
• 5/9/1946 De Gasperi-Gruber arrangement (Italy can
  keep Alto Adige only if it preserves the german
  minority),
• terrorism,
• Austria claimed in the UN court the application
  of the arrangement,
• 20/1/1974 the arrangement is enacted.

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Figure 4 A bilingual public sign in Pustertal
(Val Pusteria).
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• ? the SLOVENES
• approximately 100.000 persons,
• Friuli Venezia Giulia,
• 10/2/1947 treaty between Italy, USA, GB and
  Yugoslavia, but no rights for the minority ?
  italianization,
• Law 38 approved on 23/2/2001 Norms for the
  Preservation of the Slovenian Linguistic Minority
  in Friuli-Venezia Giulia,
• bilingualism is in fact applicated only in rural
  towns and in Triestes suburbs.

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Figure 5 The web site of the Slovenian Research
Institute in Trieste.
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MINORITIES THAT ARE NOT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED

• Albanians, Greeks, Occitanians, Friulans,
  Ladinians, Catalans, Croatians, Sardinians, Roma
  and Sinti,
• the Law 482 is not applicable to Roma and Sinti!
• laws for the protection of the Sardinians and the
  Albanians have not passed.

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CONCLUSION
ITALY
the EUROPEAN UNION
Constitution and several laws preserve linguistic
minorities
Minorities are cultural wealth

Laws and regions statutes were forced by
bilateral post war agreements
Little rights a not effective application of
the Constitution
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• differences between national minorities by the
  borders (where protection is guaranteed by
  international treaties) and other internal
  linguistic minorities with sporadic protection on
  local levels,
• the solution is to be searched for in a greater
  decentralization and flexibility of social,
  economic and political life,
• there is a need for an updated minority policy.

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THE CUT LANGUAGES The history of linguistic
minorities in Italy.