Etničke manjine: elementi definiranja i hijerarhizacija prava na razliku

Predmet razmatranja rada jesu manjine, odnosno etničke manjine kojima se može pripisati središnje mjesto u okviru društvenih pojava i procesa vezanih uz multietničku i multikulturnu strukturu suvremenih društava. Polazeći od pretpostavke da je jasnoća pojmova preduvjet razumijevanja i rješavanja problema vezanih uz etničke manjine, autori problematiziraju definiranje i diferenciranje pojmova s obzirom na koje, u konkretnim društvima, na svojevrstan način uglavnom proizlaze i prava etničkih manjina. Problem se smješta u kontekst suvremenih društava, napose imigracijskih zemalja Europske unije, te se upozorava na njihovu etničku heterogenost, na deklarirani opći konsenzus o pravu na različitost i na važnost toga prava. Uspoređujući s jedne strane etničku strukturu petnaest zemalja Europske unije (temeljenu na popisu stanovništva i na procjenama), a s druge strane podatke o pravnoj reguliranosti zaštite manjina u tim zemljama, autori zaključuju da su na djelu različiti oblici selektivnog negiranja jednakosti prava na različitost. Suvremene podjele na nekad obespravljene tradicionalne manjine koje se nastoje revitalizirati i nove etničke manjine koje se oblikuju iz imigrantske populacije otvaraju mogućnosti za nove oblike diskriminacije. Stoga se također zaključuje da bi manjinska prava trebalo nastojati izjednačiti već i zato što hijerarhizacija prava, kako se kroz povijest pokazalo, može dovesti do frustracija s dalekosežnim posljedicama.
The theme that this paper examines are minorities, or rather ethnic minorities, which are central within the framework of social phenomena and processes linked to the multiethnic and multicultural structure of contemporary societies. Proceeding from the assumption that clarity of concepts is a precondition for understanding and solving problems pertaining to ethnic minorities, the authors provide a critique of the definitions and differentiations of concepts from which, in concrete societies and in specific ways, the rights of ethnic minorities mainly derive. The problem is posed in the context of contemporary societies, especially the immigration societies of the European Union, and the authors note the ethnic heterogeneity of the latter and the declared general consensus on the right to difference and on the importance of this right. Comparing, on the one hand, the ethnic structures of fifteen countries of the European Union (based on census data and estimations), and on the other hand data pertaining to the legislative regulation of minority protection in these countries, the authors conclude that various forms of selective denial of equality of the right to difference are in action. Contemporary divisions distinguishing between formerly disprivileged traditional minorities that are striving towards their revitalisation, and new ethnic minorities that are being formed out of immigrant populations, open possibilities for new forms of discrimination. Therefore, the authors further conclude that an attempt should be made to make minority rights equal, also since establishing hierarchies of rights, as has been shown throughout history, may lead to frustrations with long-term consequences.