Stories about Ethnicity & Race from January, 2008
Turkey: Remembering Hrant Dink
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the murder of ethnic Armenian newspaper editor and journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul, Turkey. Dink was shot outside the office of the Agos newspaper on 19 January 2007. A prolific advocate for civil, human and minority rights in Turkey, Dink was killed by 17-year-old Ogun Samast.
Bahamas, USA: Obama's Impact
Mental Slavery puts in his two cents about “the implications of an Obama presidency on black people.”
Armenia/Turkey: Remembering Hrant Dink
Today marks the first anniversary of the murder of ethnic Armenian newspaper editor and journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul, Turkey. Marilisa Lorusso's blog remembers Dink by dedicating an albeit short post to him.
Sri Lanka: Tamil, patriotism and politics
Hissyfits speaks out – reflecting on the way politics and anti-Tamil sentiment can affect everyday life.
Azerbaijan: Funeral Rites
Leigh’s new adventure in Azerbaijan reflects on the funeral rites and customs practiced in the country.
Armenia: Azerbaijani Response
Blogian says that the Azerbaijani media as well as parliamentarians have responded to the blogger establishing a website and blog detailing the destruction of an ancient Armenian cemetery in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan.
Brazil: A half Portuguese, half African Brazilian street party
La Pasionaria Selénia posts her very nice pictures of yesterday's Feast of Bonfim, one of the most important annual popular celebrations in Salvador. The veneration of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (Our Lord of the Good End) is an old Portuguese tradition that was imported to Brazil during colonial times, but...
Russia: Flag Unification for Hajj?
Window on Eurasia reports that the Russian Federation's Muslims make hajj “under the flags of their national republics or even nations.” This may change next year, though.
Armenia: Reparatations
The Armenian Observer posts a video of an Armenian official arguing that Turkey must return territory once inhabited Armenians before the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. While the blogger says that territorial reparations are unlikely, he says that Armenians should demand maximum compensation from Turkey before gradually compromising from a...
Armenia: Ethnic Hatred
The Armenian Observer posts a digest of translated excerpts from blog posts examining ethnic hatred between Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Turks.
Russia, EU: Asylum Seekers
IVAN vs JAAN writes about the EU stance towards Chechen asylum seekers – and about the ongoing row between the U.K. and Russia over the British Council.
Burkina Faso: foreign, local and international incidents
Just a few weeks into the New Year and normally placid Ouagadougou observed its first sensational crime of 2008. A Lebanese man allegedly killed a local Burkinabé money changer during a business deal gone wrong.
Israel: Ms. Magazine Shuns Ad Promoting Leadership of Israeli Women
In a surprising move last week, Ms. Magazine refused to accept an advertisement that highlighted the leadership of Israeli women in public service. Maya Norton brings us the reactions of bloggers from Israel.
Russia: Dagestan's Party Politics
Window on Eurasia reports on a new political trend emerging in one of Russia's North Caucasus republics: “Daghestan, the most multi-national republic in the Russian Federation, no longer has any ethno-parties which express the interests and will of particular ethnic groups. Instead, the major all-Russian parties there increasingly include representatives...
Poland: “Fear” in Polish
A Polish translation of Jan Gross’ Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland is selling well and causing debates in Poland, the beatroot reports.
Russia: Xenophobia Blogging
There seems to be more and more posts on xenophobia in the Russian blogosphere. Many are written by xenophobes, while some are written about them. Below are two recent examples of xenophobia blogging.
World's Eyes on Obama
As his ratings continue to slip in the primaries, US presidential hopeful Barack Obama's popularity is on the rise among bloggers around the world. Global Voices Online editors and contributors joined hands to bring us the reactions of bloggers from Japan, Haiti, Republic of Macedonia, Pakistan, India, Ukraine, Singapore and Chile in this article.
Bosnia & Herzegovina, East Timor: A Comparison?
Greater Surbiton writes about East Timorese and Bosnian genocides and the double standards used by some when assessing the human losses: “Unfortunately, many of the same people who highlight the extent of East Timorese suffering, such as Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Edward Herman and David Peterson, actually go out of...
Egypt: America Decides
The United States is a the only Super Power in today's Unipolar World. And that's why it takes people here two years to talk about the Presidential Elections there before it even starts, and they continue talking about it for another two years later, writes Tarek Amr, who brings us the latest buzz from the Egyptian blogosphere on the elections, the presidential race and the candidates.
Turkmenistan: The Turkmen names
Maciula takes a challenge to investigate the origin and meaning of some Turkmen names.
Serbia: “Elegy For a Swine”
Many Serbs traditionally celebrate Orthodox Christmas by firing rifles and pistols, and consuming lots of homemade plum brandy and pork. Serbian bloggers have been writing about their Jan. 7 feasts for days now, but one of them, instead of composing her own sentences about it, posted an 1887 satirical poem by Serbian poet Vojislav Ilić. The poem is dedicated to the chief victim of Serbian Christmas celebration - a pig.