This is the first history of all the European minority communities
by a single author. Panayi deals not only with the classic diaspora
communities, the Jews and the Gypsies, but also the Muslims of the
Balkans, the Germans of Eastern Europe and stateless groups like
the Bretons, the Vlachs and the Kurds. Among the strengths of the
book are its penetrating analyses of the causes of population
dispersal, whether economic, political or religious, and its
examination of the legitimacy of nationalism as an organizing
principle for the formation of states, something that is tragically
relevant to the 'ethnic cleansing' of places like Bosnia and
Kosovo. (Kirkus UK)
The oppression of minorities has been a major theme in the history
of Europe. It has been a leading cause of disputes over territory,
often resulting in war. In modern times nation states have demanded
the undivided loyalty of their citizens. This has led to
discrimination and racism, and often to the persecution, at its
most extreme in the Nazi crusade against the Jews. Recent years
have seen Ceausescu's persecution of Hungarians and ethnic
cleansing in the Balkans. Minorities, represented by organisations
such as the Basque ETA and the Northern Irish Catholic IRA, are
also responsible for many of acts of terrorism.
Outsiders is the first history of all European minority communities
by a single author. Panikos Panayi deals with the classic dispersed
minorities, the Jews and the Gypsies, as well as the Muslims of the
Balkans and the massive diaspora of Germans in eastern Europe from
the middle ages to 1945. Almost all countries have disadvantaged
ethnic and linguistic minorities: whether minorities without their
own states, such as the Bretons, Scots, Vlachs and Kurds; or those,
such as the Russians in Estonia or the Greeks in Turkey, who form
linguistic and ethnic groups different to the native majorities.
During wars, and in particular the Second World War, the existence
of alien communities often led to persecution, in turn bringing
about huge refugee migrations. The result has been untold suffering
and the massive resettlement of European populations.
Since the Second World War, the demand for cheap labour has led to
an influx of immigrants from outside Europe, whether from the
Caribbean, India or Africa. This followed an earlier wave, in which
workers from the relativelypoor Mediterranean countries travelled
north to the industrial heartlands. There has also been a massive
migration westwards of German-speakers. Although all EEC countries
now operate strict controls on immigrants, there is enormous
pressure from both the east, following the fall of Communism, and
from the third world, where birth-rates greatly outstrip that of
Europe. The existence of this pressure, as well as that of already
sizeable non-European minority communities in all European
countries, is an inevitable determinant of Europe's history in the
twenty-first century.
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