Stories about Ethnicity & Race from October, 2007
Europe: Roma Links
Lots of new content on TOL's Romantic, including a post on the official patron saint of Catholic Gypsies.
Russia: Bloggers Discuss James Watson
James Watson, an American Nobel Prize-winning geneticist, provoked international outrage when The Sunday Times quoted him on race issues on Oct. 14. The news of the controversy produced a certain stir in the Russian-language blogosphere, too.
U.S., Russia: Aleksandr Shevchenko on Trial for Murder
Moscow Through Brown Eyes writes about Aleksandr Shevchenko the painter – and his namesake, currently on trial in Sacramento for his role in the murder of Satender Singh.
Russia: Tatarstan
Window on Eurasia comments on Moscow's complex relationship with Tatarstan.
Russia: Mosques for Moscow Region's Muslims
Window on Eurasia writes about the lack of mosques for the growing Muslim population of the Moscow region and the reluctance of the governor to build new ones.
The War in Abkhazia – ‘Cyxymu’ Remembers
Blogger cyxymu - whose Russian-language blog is devoted to the “memories of Sukhumi, the war and the pain” - spent the second half of September marking the 14th anniversary of the storm of the Abkhaz capital, which dealt a final defeat to the Georgian forces in their war with Abkhazia. Lyndon Allin translates from some of cyxymu's entries, and reviews and comments on the others.
Slovenia: Lojze Podobnik
TOL's Romantic writes about Lojze Podobnik, a Slovenian author writing on the Romani culture and way of life.
Serbia: Antifa vs Neo-Nazi in Novi Sad
Belgrade 2.0 has been covering the Oct. 7 “neonazi, clerofascist rally” and the “citizens counter-rally” in Novi Sad: preparations; a report and two videos; and a guest-blogger's report. Also, another report from Pustolovina: adventure in Serbian.
Ukraine: UPA's 65th Anniversary
Ukrainiana posts a comprehensive entry on the history and the 65th anniversary of “Ukraine’s underrecognized Insurgent Army” (UPA): “Attempts at re-educating and reconciling elderly people contrary to their beliefs should be abandoned. But revisiting Ukrainian history and recognizing, for future generations, the people and events misrepresented in Soviet textbooks makes...
Former Soviet Union: Pyotr Grigorenko's Centenary
Window on Eurasia writes about the “neglected centenary” of General Pyotr Grigorenko: “People like the late general are a rarity. Anyone who met him – and I was fortunate enough to do so – counts himself privileged. But even more, all those living in the post-Soviet states now are his...
Russia: De-Muslimization of the Army
Window on Eurasia reports that, according to a Russian newspaper, “the Russian defense ministry has been manipulating this fall’s draft in an effort to secure a more ethnically Russian and less culturally Muslim military.”
Bahrain: Iraqi Refugees Shedding Off Sectarian Violence
Bahraini blogger Dawood writes that Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan are ‘shedding off’ sectarian violence.
Russia: Racism
MoscowThroughBrownEyes writes about the`a “fear of a black Russia.”
Philippines: ‘Desperate Housewives’ Uproar Continues
Tonyo looks at the continuing uproar among the Filipinos over the American TV drama Desperate Housewives. The featured blogs are responding to the suggestion the protests against a racist remark by one of the character in the TV drama are “going overboard”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Radovan Karadzic
Srebrenica Genocide Blog writes about Radovan Karadzic's role and about genocide deniers. Finding Karadzic suspects that Karadzic may be hiding in Moscow, sheltered by Eduard Limonov.
Serbia: Google vs Goran Davidovic
East Ethnia reports on Google's decision to shut down the blog of a Serbian Nazi.
The Balkans: A News Roundup
A roundup of October news from the Balkans – over at Balkan Anarchist.
Lebanon: On Judaism and Zionism
“…in Lebanon that there are Lebanese Jews who enjoy the full right as anyone else. The problem of Judaism is Zionism, it transformed them from a sect to a race. […] A lot of the Lebanese factions think that a Jew and a Zionist are the same. When Finkelstein, Chomsky,...
Lebanon: A Lebanese Jew
“I am a Lebanese Jew [and] I was forced to change my family name because my family origins are from Wadi Abu Jmil. I still live there under a false name, my family did not emigrate during the war, we hid in a sieged town in the Shouf district …”...
Haiti, USA: Identity check
An encounter with a fellow Haitian-American at a Florida airport prompts Peggy Brunache to muse over questions of identity and “the realisation of reality”.
Slovakia, Hungary: Unfriendly Relationship
Pestcentric writes about the not-too-friendly Slovak-Hungarian relations.