· October, 2012

Stories about Ethnicity & Race from October, 2012

Far-Right Party Performs Strongly in Ukrainian Vote

While the results of the Oct. 28 elections in Ukraine are still being finalized, netizens are already discussing the anticipated outcome. Many are paying special attention to VO Svoboda, a far-right party, and its victorious leap over the 5% threshold necessary to get any Parliament seats.

31 October 2012

Former Brazilian Model Turned Beggar Stirs Debate on Racism

Tall, blue-eyed and wrapped in a blanket while roaming the streets of Curitiba, Rafael Nunes, a former Brazilian model, has gained international attention after his picture and story went viral on Facebook and Twitter. The case of "the photogenic beggar from Curitiba" has grown into a racial-oriented discussion about how Brazilian society reacts to situations of social exclusion.

31 October 2012

Russia: the Scuffles of the Moscow Literati

RuNet Echo

Most online conflicts in the RuNet remain virtual. Sometimes, however, members of the Moscow creative class feel that fisticuffs are their only recourse, as a recent Twitter spat between blogger Maksim Kononenko and Pussy Riot lawyer Mark Feygin demonstrated.

27 October 2012

Kazakhstan: The Accidental Nationalist

To Son Pascal, I say that if you really believe that Kazakhs should stop using Russian language in favor of Kazakh, if you really feel that you, a foreigner, can tell Kazakhs how to feel pride in their background, you’re playing with fire. And it’s not your fire to play with.

21 October 2012

Turkey: Hundreds of Kurdish Political Prisoners go on Hunger Strike

Hundreds of Kurdish political prisoners have entered an indefinite hunger strike, challenging Turkey's treatment of Kurdish political prisoners. Through their protest, some are demanding re-trials and language rights while others want to raise international attention about Turkey's treatment of Kurdish political prisoners. Despite their hunger strike, which is nearing six weeks, international media outlets have largely remained silent.

17 October 2012

The Stateless People of Egypt

Stateless people are those who do not have a nationality. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are up to 12 million stateless people in the world. Ahmed Awadalla introduces us to some of the stateless people of Egypt in this post.

16 October 2012

Jamaica: Who's a Minority?

The sad irony of race in Jamaica is that numerical minorities tend to hog the majority of social space in so many arenas. Carolyn Cooper deals with the response to her...

15 October 2012

Hong Kong: A Fight between Dogs and Locusts

In reaction to the “locust” label put on mainland Chinese by some Hong Kong people, a mainland Chinese student in Hong Kong recently called Hongkongers “dogs”. Dictionary of politically incorrect...

15 October 2012

France, Africa: Black Fashion Week Marred by Visa Problems

Two renowned African fashion designers and several models have been denied entry to France for Black Fashion Week October 2012. This event was created by Senegalese fashion designer Adama Paris to show the world the diversity and influence of African creativity on contemporary fashion and has been held in Dakar, Senegal for the past ten years. The first show outside Dakar took place in Prague in November 2011, since then, it has travelled from place to place. The designers made public statements on their struggle to obtain short stay visas.

9 October 2012

Turkey: Kurds Respond on Social Networking Sites to AKP Congress

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan hailed Turkey as a rising democratic power at the Justice and Development Party (AKP)'s conference last week. But criticism was vibrant on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, accusing the Prime Minister of repressing Kurdish masses while advocating for the freedom of others, such as the Palestinians.

6 October 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Attacked Whilst Eating Fast Food

Trinidad businessman Gregory Wight was recently attacked whilst patronizing a doubles stand (doubles are a common street food sandwich). The incident was vehemently condemned on social media, with many bloggers using it as a platform to discuss other issues in Trinidadian society.

5 October 2012