>No. I didn't imply that "smaller cultural groups within the larger states
>should just be written off >and suppressed as dangerous or potentially
>divisive." Their auotonomy must be recognised and >preserved.
Well, that's good news!
So do you have any ideas on how far to go wrt "their auotonomy must be recognised and preserved"?
Chris said:
"They (and the dominant group) should be aufgehobened into a larger group identity. (This is why Russian has two words usually translated into English as "Russian," one implying ethnicity and the other implying residency in Russia -- one ethno-cultural group falls into the former category, and about 150 into the latter.)"
<shrug> I used what paradigm I know: Canada; you seemed to be talking about a general topic of cultural diversity and assimilation, not the particulars of India and Russia.
Ok, I go along with making a larger group identity, but who gets to choose? Historically, "Russian" culture was "forced" on the smaller groups, wasn't it? It's not like they had some choice to opt out, or did they?
The rest of your post:
>What you have in Russia is a land empire that expanded and swallowed up the
>indigenous peoples to its south and east, incorporating them as subjects
>rather than wiping them out or herding them onto reservations as was done
>in the US, and, occasional half-assed attempts at russification
>notwithstanding, for the most part did not impose the dominant culture upon
>them.
seemed to imply the smaller communities didn't have much of a choice about at first, although, in the long run, their cultures weren't well assimilated. What's to be done now to create some greater whole?
Chris also said:
>Oh, and yes, money helps. One reason why Tatar nationalism is so mild is
>probably that Tatarstan is the third-richest Russian region. Almost all of
>the board of director of LUKoil are Tatars, I believe.
Well, that's not quite what I was talking about. What happens if neither group has money or (in the case of the wealthier group) is willing to spend it on integration projects?
I just get the impression that integration/recognition/autonomy will just "happen" based largely on good will and intentions. I'm more interested in the "nuts and bolts" of doing it and wondering what you two think.
Todd
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