CVEK

In the second half of 2011, Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture (CVEK) became the national focal point of European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) within the network of research institutions FRANET. The network engages organizations in each EU member state as well as Croatia.

Within the cooperation the main task is to collect data on fundamental rights issues in Slovakia and their processing according the FRA specification. In 2011, CVEK elaborated a baseline study on the observance of fundamental rights in 2011 for the yearly published Annual Report.

In 2012 we have been working on following issues – victim support services, impact of economic crises on gender equality, conditions of participation of children in fieldwork research and data protection and redress mechanism.

Outputs of the collaboration between CVEK and FRA are available on the FRA website.

The project has been a response to the recent developments in the field of minority policy in Slovakia which demonstrate that minorities are construed as a threat to Slovak national interests and ethnically defined Slovak identity. It has been based on the premise that by justifying minority policies by protection of national interests political elites, given their dominant status in the society, co-create a framework for perceiving minorities among lay public. It is plausible that discourse presenting minorities as a menace results in a belief that they indeed pose a threat to the majority society (e.g. territorial threat, cultural or economic threat etc.). In the long run such approach deepens interethnic tensions, discrimination and intolerance. The project therefore aimed at analysing political discourse on minorities and increasing expertise of policy makers with respect to formulation of minority policies.

One of the main objectives has been to explore means of justifying minority policies- is it the need to prevent conflicts and protect cultural interests of the dominant nation? Or are the policies guided by principles of justice and equality? The project aspired on introduction of different institutional models of minority rights protection and to present them to those with capacities to shape public policies, i.e. representatives of the public administration and Members of the Parliament, all the while bearing in mind the aim to facilitate a positive change in perception of minorities and effective implementation of constitutional and international minority rights.

The project has been aimed at fostering discussion and providing information on Muslims living in Visegrad countries to the wider public. Its main premise was that prejudice and xenophobia are primarily rooted in the lack of relevant information and contact between cultures. Muslim communities in V4 countries have been on the margins of the researchers’ interest despite having been parts of these countries for decades; this is why it has been essential to bring the majority and the Muslim minority closer and open discussion on mutual coexistence and benefits of increasing diversity in V4 countries.

The project included open discussions with representatives of Muslim communities and the public in all Visegrad countries and a preliminary research aimed at exploring Muslims’ perception of their relations with the majority populations, their view of the role that the media plays in shaping the public opinion, and structure and functioning of Muslim communities. The research should serve as a stepping stone for a future large scale project aimed at Muslim communities in V4 countries.

About the Summer School

The 2nd edition of the Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration Studies has been a two-week educational program covering topics connected with nationalism and ethnicity, de-ethnization of the public sphere, migration and integration analysis, approaches and policies.

Topics connected to de-construction of national myths, analyses of public policies concerning minorities and discussions over desired migration policy models formed the core of the Summer school activities. Through debates, lectures and workshops, it presents a unique informal learning space for student from the Central European countries and creates space for the participants to get familiar with each other’s ideas and initiate international cooperation. Lectures and workshops held by highly qualified experts from the region has been complemented with topical study trips. The Summer school has been organized in a building of the Faculty of Social and Economic Science of the Comenius University in Bratislava.

Target group
The 2nd edition of the Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration Studies aimed to create an alternative learning platform for advanced studies for MA Students, PhD students, young researchers, young public officials from countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Working language of the School has been English.

Eligible countries:

Slovakia, Czech republic, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia,  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Turkey, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbajdzan. Participants from other countries could have participate as self-funders.

Application:

Application process for the 2nd edition of the Summer School has been opened betweenApril 1 – May 2, 2011, accepted participants were informed on May 10, 2011.

Application package included:
• Application form duly filled and signed
• Motivation letter (not more than one A4 format page)
• CV
• Recommendations*
*Recommendations from one person (from the academia) familiar with the applicants work. Should be in English, printed on letterhead paper and bear the signature of the issuer. No special envelope is needed; recommendations should be simply attached to the application.

All of the materials are to be sent by postal service to:

“Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration studies”

CVEK

Klariská 14

811 03 Bratislava

Slovakia  

Moreover, an electronic copy of application form should be send to naglova@cvek.sk.

Costs

Registration fee for successful candidates has been 50 Euro. Costs of the program, study material, field trips as well as accommodation and board were covered by the organizer. Participants were responsible for their travel costs and insurance.

Participants from other than eligible countries could have participated as well – their registration fee was 500 Euro (covering travel and accommodation costs, catering, meals, study materials, and study trips).

Project Monitoring minority policies in Slovakia has had an ambition to fill in the domestic gap in monitoring minority policies with a broader objective changing the discourse on minorities and related policies. Project also complemented existing periodical monitoring of international bodies. Saliently, CVEK was hoping to embark on processes that could help alternate minority rights debate, improve minority policies and increase political commitment necessary for their sustainment. The project has been based on an idea that Slovakia shall no longer be constructed as a state owned by ethnic Slovaks, but as a multicultural country of all its citizens and permanent members to ensure the inclusion of minorities. The transformation would mean that minorities are no longer viewed as a danger to the majority and consequently to peace and stability. Instead, their claims should be viewed as a matter of justice and equality. Such discourse would open new innovative avenues for accommodating even the most deprived groups such as the Roma.

To achieve our objectives CVEK engaged with research and monitoring of minority policies standards accompanied with advocacy activities to convey these policy changes through capacity building of relevant decision-makers; and participation in policies drafting

CVEK experts draw on international minority rights, the Slovak constitutional law, and political theory of liberal pluralism to develop standards for monitoring. CVEK monitored how international standards contained in such important treaties as the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities has been observed and implemented. CVEK also evaluated developments in minority’ policies by reference to two foundational criteria of minority protection: peace and security, and human dignity, accepting that moving towards human dignity means progress. Developing minority rights through reference to human dignity also required a contextual accommodation of diverse minority groups and their individual members given their multiple sources of identities.

Monitoring:

The project’s monitoring resulted in two main deliverables: a quarterly newsletter and an annual report on minority policies in Slovakia. Electronically issued quarterly Minority Policy in Slovakia timely informed, highlighted, and provided a critical reflection on the most recent events in minority policies. The annual report, published in both Slovak and English language, provided both a grasp of broad trends as well as detailed and informed analysis of particular events based on developed minority rights standards. The annual report contains also one in-depth case study on a selected issue relating to minorities and minority policies and includes also a set of concrete policy recommendations.

Advocacy:

The advocacy component of the project employs two approaches: capacity building of relevant decision-makers through a series of workshops and participation in policies preparation. The objective of the workshops has been to educate about various avenues on thinking about minority policies, explaining alternatives of minority policies and thus increasing their capacity to adopt sound policies. Additionally, through the workshops CVEK attempted to establish a channel of regular communication with state officials and politicians that create and influence minority policy following on the policy recommendations contained in the annual report.

The other segment of the advocacy strategy has been directly focused on participation in policies drafting. Furthermore, CVEK made use of state administration’s inter-departmental amendments procedure, that allowed CVEK to submit its objections and suggestions and enter policies discourse before they are adopted by the government.

The objective of this project has been large scale as it seeks to be one of the important elements in promoting fundamental changes to conceptualize Slovakia and its relationship to minorities. CVEK recognized that our center and this project have limited capacity to investigate these changes and this agenda must be supported by at minimum a broader social movement of several stakeholders, including saliently minorities themselves to be successful. Challenge notwithstanding, CVEK believes that sustained and independent research monitoring accompanied with advocacy activities will contribute towards the development of inclusive, fair and context-sensitive policies for the diverse minority communities.  

At the beginning of May 2011 CVEK issued 1st volume of the critical quarterly MINORITY POLICIES IN SLOVAKIA. Quarterly is a part of the project Monitoring of the minority policies in Slovakia and critically evaluates topics of minority policies for first quarter of 2011. It focuses on issues such as double citizenship; amendments of a law on state language and on usage of minority languages; so-called Roma crime; regional elections from the perspective of Roma political participation; proposal of the law on aliens status, or on integration of migrants.

Based on request of the Open Society Foundation Bratislava CVEK conducted a quantitative survey of right-wing oriented extremism in Slovakia in perception of its inhabitants. Results of the research might offer broader chances to project ways of right-wing extremism spread-out in Slovakia and to prepare policies to face its existence. CVEK conducted a quantitative representative survey based on a questionnaire and qualitative survey in a form of four focus groups. 
 
CVEK research covered various topics connected to right-wing extremism:

1. Perception of right-wing extremism and extremists, knowledge of its displays, racism, and hate-crimes;
2. Associations of respondents on the notion of right-wing extremism;
3. Personal experiences with right-wing extremism;
4. Internal inter-connections of nationalism, banal nationalism, and ethno-centrism with right wing extremism; 
5. Testing of an anomy, alienation, lack of trust, and authoritarian personality as background of right-wing extremism spread-out;
6. Attitudes of public to political behavior of right-wing extremists (participation of extremists in politics);
7. Testing of respondents what do they consider acceptable in relation to various minority groups;
8. Testing of respondents, what approaches in relation to right-wing extremism would they prefer, or consider as an acceptable, and what measures do they consider efficient; 
9. Who is according to respondents a target group of right-wing extremists;
10. Perception of displays of right-wing extremism on internet;
11. Knowledge of right-wing extremism symbols.

Also during 2010 CVEK continued, together with an initiative People against Racism, to collect and analyze data on racism and xenophobia in Slovakia. Racism and Xenophobia European Information Network (RAXEN) was established by European Monitoring Center of Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) that was changed into the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in 2007. The main objective of FRA is to offer broad audience in the EU-25 objective, reliable and comparable data on issues of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism in the territory of member states and to contribute to formulation of effective measures designed to fight racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

RAXEN Network consists of 25 national groups, one group operating in each member state. National groups are partners of FRA providing needed information and data on national level. Center for Research of Ethnicity and Culture together with People Against Racism form national group for Slovakia. Particular national groups carry out different tasks specified by FRA, collect information and statistical data about various activities in the area of fight against racism and xenophobia, work out general (general situation in the country) as well as specific reports (employment, education, housing, etc.).

In 2010 CVEK worked on 2 thematic studies that are even more than in the past focused on status of asylum seekers and migrants in the Slovak republic.

On September 13, 2010, European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released two research reports concerning the issue of quality of asylum procedures in European countries. Both research reports are partly based on interviews with asylum seekers conducted in 27 EU countries. In Slovakia, the research was carried out by Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture.

Both research reports can be downloaded here.

About the Summer School

Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration Studies is a two-week educational program covering topics connected with nationalism and ethnicity, de-ethnization of the public sphere, migration and integration analysis, approaches and policies. Topics connected to de-construction of national myths, analyses of public policies concerning minorities and discussions over desired migration policy models form the core of the Summer school activities. Through debates, lectures and workshops, it presents a unique informal learning space for student from the Central European countries and creates space for the participants to get familiar with each other’s ideas and initiate international cooperation. Lectures and workshops held by highly qualified experts from the region has been complemented with topical study trips.

It starts to be obvious that issues of ethnicity are becoming even more salient in 21st century than in previous ones. As the latest research conducted by CVEK has shown, the young generation tends to be even more radicalized mainly due to lack of public discussion, adequate education and negative influence provided by the media. The Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration has an ambition to influence future experts in the broadly understood ethnic studies.

The Summer school has been organized in a historical building of the Janos Selye University around four modules, lasting 2,5 days each. Topics of particular modules will be changing each year within the following modules:

1st Modul:
De-construction of the term nation in Central Europe;

Meanings of nationalism, ethnicity and identity in Central Europe;

Processes of reconciliation between Central European countries.

2nd Modul:
De-ethnization of the public sphere in Central European countries;

Changes and pluralization of identities in globalized times;

Conceptualization of post-national era.

3rd Modul:
Insight into the migration studies in Central European region;

Changes of migration patterns;

Evaluation of migration and integration policies of Central European countries.

4th Modul:
Integration of migrants and aliens in Central Europe;

Migration and social cohesion in Central Europe;

Changes of citizenship boundaries – citizenship and denizenship.

Target group

The Summer School aims to create an alternative learning platform for advanced studies for MA Students, PhD students, young researchers, young public officials from countries of Central and Eastern Europe – Slovakia, Czech republic, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Turkey, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Belorus, Georgia and Azerbajdzan. The working language of the School is English.

Application:

Accepted participants were informed by June 5, 2010.

Application package included:
• Application form duly filled and signed
• Motivation letter (not more than one A4 format page)
• CV
• Recommendations*
*Recommendations from one person (from the academia) familiar with the applicants work. Should be in English, printed on letterhead paper and bear the signature of the issuer. No special envelope is needed; recommendations should be simply attached to the application.

Costs

Registration fee for successful candidates was 50 Euro. Costs of the program, study material, field trips as well as accommodation and board were covered by the organizer. Participants were responsible for their travel costs and insurance.

Participants of the 1st edition of Summer School of Ethnic and Migration Studies:

Jarmila Androvičová, Slovakia     
Bojana Babic, Bosnia and Hercegovina       
Tereza Blahoutova, Czech republic     
Edita Bezdičková, Slovakia     
Graciela Boruszko, USA    
Marta Čonková, Slovakia     
Anna Júlia Donáth, Hungary     
Piotr Drozd, Poland      
Ana Simina Guga, Romania     
Teodor Gyelník, Slovakia     
Cristina Haruta, Romania      
Dorota Chabiera, Poland     
Maria Chernyaeva, Bulgaria     
Anna Jurek, Poland      
Darko Karačić, Croatia       
Shorena Kobaidze, Georgia     
Judit Kontsekova, Slovakia     
Jan Kopkáš, Czech republic      
Kateryna Kravchuk, Ukraine     
Andreea Lazar, Romania     
Bahruz Mammadov, Azerbaijan    
Miroslav Mavra, Croatia     
Salome Mekhuzla, Georgia      
Iga Mergler, Poland      
Tereza Modráková, Czech republic     
Claudia Mullauer, Austria     
Elzbieta Okuniewska, Poland     
Slávka Otčenášová, Slovakia     
Adam Puchejda, Poland     
Marija Roglić, Croatia     
Daria Ronchetti, Czech republic     
Lenka Safrankova Pavlickova, Czech republic  
Onur Sen, Turkey     
Ondrej Schutz, Slovakia     
Monika Stafa, Albania     
Ali Turunz, Turkey     
Mária Tömösváryová, Slovakia    
Anna Zamejc, Poland     
Aleksander Zdravkovski, Macedonia   
Olga Zubrzycka, Poland     
Drago Župarić-Iljić, Croatia  

Want to apply in 2011?

2nd edition of the Summer School of Ethnicity and Migration Studies will be organized in 2011. Detailed information will be announced in March 2011.

Project Testing of integration policies indicators (TIPI) presents, from the point of view of content and personally, continuing project of the previous one – High quality research – precondition for a successful integration. The above mentioned project brought set of elementary indicators that can be used in the process of measuring successes of integration policies. CVEK research team suggested that there is a need to test integration policies indicators, to differentiate them from indicators of integration and indicators of the Democratic Diversity Management. Project aimed to utilize experiences of international surveys such as EMILE, IMISCOE, TSER, WOLIWEB, and INTI. 

The main aim of the TIPI project has been to test integration policies indicators and to assess successes of particular minority groups integration within various dimensions, with a focus on economic integration.

Researchers assessed success in several dimensions:

1. Economic integration;

2. Education;

3. Social integration;

4. Political integration;

5. Language;

6. Residential integration.

Outcomes of the project:

1. International workshop for policy-makers and analysts in the sphere of minority integration and integration of third countries nationals, that took place on June 27 in the Austria Trend hotel in Bratislava;

2. Manual for policy-makers;

3. Academic publications about integration indicators.

International conference Migrations, rethinking contemporary migration events in Telč, organized in June 24 – 26, 2010 has been already a second conference in a row and followed after the successful conference in Telč in 2008. Conference in 2008 focused on theoretical reflections of migration processes and their interpretations, changes in understanding of what exactly does belong into this realm as well as possible consequences of theoretical thinking about migration policy and migration research were discussed. Conference also analyzed several research methods in order to articulate the possibilities of different approaches and special emphasis was put on the vitality of the interdisciplinary approach in studying migration and on demonstrations of innovative research approaches.

Conference Migrations, rethinking contemporary migration events developed previous topics specifically in two areas:   

Knowledge Production in Migration Studies

In this rather theoretical session conference focused on the practices that, speaking of migrations, transform an event into a research topic and interests that stand behind it. The production and circulation of knowledge on migration has a differing logic in the areas of politics, public life and the academic world. The crucial question has been what types of migration are discursively produced as a normal and deviating social process and how different discursive fields interfere.

Migrations Policymaking

Theoretical concepts and research findings are re-defined in the political sphere and thus shape contemporary migration events. Political players have usually only slight understanding for broader than a national perspective. To be part of the administration of the nation state also means in some way believing in this “real fiction” or at the very least acting pragmatically in line with it. The essential impact on migrating people’s living conditions enlightens the ethical aspects of migrations policymaking.

Keynote speakers of the 2010 conference were:  

Prof. Asa Kasher

Asa Kasher is the Laura Schwarz-Kipp Professor Emeritus of Professional Ethics and Philosophy of Practice and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Tel Aviv University in Israel. He is co-author of the Israel Defense Forces Code of Ethics, “The Spirit of the IDF: Values and Basic Principles,” 1994. His research covers a broad range of topics in philosophy and ethics, including military ethics and medical ethics, and philosophy of language, as well as issues of Jewish identity. He wrote an influential defense of Israel’s ‘law of return’, justifying it as a form of affirmative action, following periods in which Jews were not allowed to immigrate to many countries. In 2000, Professor Kasher was awarded the Israel Prize for his work in philosophy and ethics.

Prof. Endre Sik

Endre Sik is a professor at the ELTE University, Department of Minority Studies, the director of the Centre for Refugee and Migration Studies at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and of the National Focal Point of the European Union Centre for Monitoring Race and Xenophobia. For ten years he was the chairman of Refuge – Association for Helping Migrants. He served as the president of the Hungarian Sociological Association, of the Sociology Committee of the National Research Fund. He is a project manager at TÁRKI Research Institute Inc. His main fields of research are: migration, Diaspora; xenophobia, labor market, informal economy, households’ economic behavior; social network capital.

Further information can be downloaded at http://ivris.fss.muni.cz/migrations

Conference took place in Convict of Holy Angels