· October, 2010

Stories about Ethnicity & Race from October, 2010

Georgia: Halloween protests & revelry

  31 October 2010

The Young Georgians examines the history of Halloween, and not least in Georgia where controversy often results in religious groups objecting to young people holding their own events. This year is no exception with Orthodox Christians planning to stage protests while several events in clubs and public gatherings are scheduled...

Cuba: Standard of Living

  28 October 2010

“Nobody on the island may have a high standard of living if it is not authorized by the regime”: Iván García explains that he “aspire[s] to live better. But above all [he] consider[s] [him]self a free man. And that is where a person can be dangerous in Cuba.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Divali

  27 October 2010

Repeating Islands notes that “it is once again time for the largest Hindu festival in Trinidad & Tobago, Divali or the Festival of Lights.”

Ukraine, Serbia: Food, Libraries, Dwellings

  26 October 2010

A Crimean Tatar wedding feast and fall's bounty at a Kyiv farmers’ market – at The Pickle Project; an initiative to help a library in the Ukrainian town of Konotop – at Jud Dolphin Adventure; the Modern Village exhibit at the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture and Life just outside...

Taiwan: Foreign wives and citizenship

  26 October 2010

Sinocentric looks at the place of foreign wives in Taiwanese society. The number of foreign wives in Taiwan, mostly from China and Southeast Asia, has increased significantly in recent years.

Georgia: Teach and Learn English

  24 October 2010

Dream is Destiny [GE] posts the addresses of the blogs established by some of the 350 native English-language speakers documenting their stay in Georgia as part of the new official policy to have English replace Russian as the second-language spoken by its citizens.

Armenia: Domestic Violence petition submitted

  24 October 2010

Following the recent outrage expressed by some Armenian bloggers following the death of a 20-year old woman at the hands of her husband and mother-in-law, Blogian says that the petition it set up to lobby the government to pass a law on domestic violence was signed by 3,196 individuals before...

Armenia: Prolific blogger suspended on LiveJournal

  24 October 2010

Kornelij Glas [RU] details the case of Pigh, an Armenian blogger prolific in the mutual tit-for-tat online information war with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Speaking to Global Voices, Pigh says that his blog on LiveJournal was suspended on 8 October after some Azerbaijanis made complaints to the site's administration which included...

Caucasus: Attitudes to inter-ethnic marriage

  15 October 2010

After posting the results of a survey last year examining perceptions of inter-ethnic friendship in the South Caucasus, Social Science in Caucasus now posts information on attitudes to inter-ethnic marriage. According the results, 99% of Azerbaijanis disapprove of their women marrying Armenians while 92% of Armenians disapprove of marriage with...

Caucasus: Women as a reflection of nationalism

  15 October 2010

Motherhood, Repatriation and other fictions comments on a recent event staged in Istanbul, Turkey, which women activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Russia attended. The blog particularly examines the role of nationalism and patriarchal societies in peace-building and cross-border initiatives in the South Caucasus.

Haiti: Hero on the Titanic

  14 October 2010

“Joseph Phillippe Lemercier Laroche was the only black man, a Haitian man, to perish in the Titanic; that’s after he saved his wife and kids”: Repeating Islands has the amazing story.