The notion of a “new digital paradigm” (NDP) has been with us for more than two decades. Digital spaces and online identities have become a pervasive part of our social reality. In 2020, this trend was turbo-charged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only has society’s online presence grown exponentially but social activism has also been forced to move largely online.
The communities present in online spaces are extremely diverse and minorities are part of them. Minorities use online platforms not only for running minority language media or promoting their culture, but also for digital activism. For some marginalised groups, having an online voice and a digital platform sometimes can be the only way to talk about the challenges and mistreatment they face. Minorities can find it easier to mobilise via online channels, where there are less administrative barriers. However, the NDP also has a flip side – often minorities become targets of online hate speech and harmful actions, given the rise of right-wing populist politics and loose and fragmented legislation at regulating online space.
In 2021, the 11th Annual Summer School on National Minorities in Border Regions, organised jointly by the Coppieters Foundation and the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), will focus on online presence and the activism of minorities, the interlink between “offline” and “digital” identities and provide a platform to analyse the challenges minorities face in a digital space.
Note that the programme below is still subject to change.
Icebreakers and introduction to the programme, conducted by the Summer School Team
Speeches by:
Ethnicity, Nationalism and Ethnopolitics. Vello Pettai, Director of the ECMI
Moderated by Vello Pettai, Director of the ECMI.
New Digital Paradigm and Minorities, by Kyriaki Topidi, Head of the research cluster on “Culture & Diversity” at the ECMI
Modertaed by by Kyriaki Topidi, Head of the research cluster on “Culture & Diversity” at the ECMI
North Frisian in the Digital age: the case of a very small minority language. Hauke Heyen, from Europa-Universität Flensburg
Raising Awareness about Culture and Languages via VirtuLApp project. By Ydwine Scarse.
Managed by the Summer School team.
Post-colonial tour of Flensburg.
The Yin and Yang of Digital Identity and AI for Minorities: a Technological Perspective, by Silvio Ranise, Full professor at the University of Trento
Minorities’ Online Activism: Tools, Challenges, Trends. Panel discussion with:
Moderated by Viktoria Aygül, Researcher at the ECMI
With:
Moderated by:
Media landscapes and minority languages. How Media can “make or break” linguistic vitality.
Modertaed by
The Debate aroud “indigenous” for indigenous language Media and the limits of the cybertarian utopia. By Enrique Uribe-Jongbloed.
E-governance and minorities, by Vello Pettai, Director of the ECMI.
Securisation of Minorities during the Covid 19 pandemic. By Marika Djolai Head of the ECMI’s Conflict and Security Cluster .
Processing of ethnic data: Juggling between Data protection and diversity management. Ljubica Djordjevic (ECMI).
Debate Simulations, by the Summer School Team
Discussion, feedback and evaluation, certificates and coffee, by the Summer School Team
You can download the programme of the event in pdf format HERE
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, we are developing contingency plans which will allow us to proceed with the Summer School programme should disruptions occur due to travel restrictions for lecturers. These contingencies include some flexibility in the teaching and activities of the programme, including interactive online teaching options and sourcing locally-based lecturers to step in. Additionally, if confirmed participants are unable to attend the Summer School due to travel restrictions relating to the crisis, they will be fully refunded for any fees paid up to that point. In the event that the programme is cancelled entirely, any fees paid will be refunded in full.
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The Summer School team aims to select a total number of 24 junior scholars, researchers or practitioners, having the following professional background:
Applicants are required to submit a completed online application form which includes questions on general information (contact details, affiliation, practical and logistical information).
To finalise the submission of an application, applicants must also submit their detailed CV and a letter of motivation via email to summerschool@ecmi.de no later than 14 May 2021. Please state “NMBR SuS21 Application” in the subject line.
The letter of motivation should:
The application will not be considered for the selection process unless the required documents are submitted via email.
The selection will be performed on the basis of academic and professional achievements, as well as expressed interest in the topic. Diversity of the group in terms of professional background, gender and country of origin will be an important factor in the selection process.
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This event is a joint initiative of the Coppieters Foundation and the European Centre for Minority Issues. It is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the summer school or the opinions of the speakers.
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