Protection of Minorities

Protection of Minorities
Author: Borhan Uddin Khan
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2013-01-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 144384571X

We live in a world that not only sets standards for, but also professes its commitment to promoting and protecting ‘rights’. Since ours is an age of heightened public interest in auditing the actual realisation of such standards and commitment, the first major focus of this book is a critical account of international standards aimed at the protection of minorities. To that end, it concentrates on four key dimensions. Firstly, it addresses the issue of the identification of minorities as understood by international law. Secondly, it outlines a brief history on the development of international law towards improving the protection of minorities. Thirdly, it gives an overview of international instruments and mechanisms on minorities. Finally, it analyses the rights of minorities under international standards. All these dimensions point to the fact that international minority rights lag behind the development of other branches of rights. The second major focus of this book is to relate international standards on minority protection to South Asian regimes. Concentrating on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Afghanistan, an endeavor is made to examine the state of minorities and their protection under the domestic regimes. It emerges that the normative commitments of these states are more or less compatible with international standards. Nevertheless, majority-minority syndrome persistently remains as one of the causes behind multidimensional deprivation and victimization of South Asian minorities. The present book also assesses the extent to which regional cooperation in South Asia has so far contributed to extending protection to minorities. This ends with an argument that SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) has the potential to play a far greater role in this regard.

Political Governance and Minority Rights

Political Governance and Minority Rights
Author: Lipi Ghosh
Publisher: Routledge India
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2009
Genre: History
ISBN:

Based on in-depth investigation of some of the lasting minority majority conflicts of the postcolonial period, this book analyses the current scenario in South and Southeast Asia with respect to the position of minority groups.

Minority Rights in Asia

Minority Rights in Asia
Author: Joshua Castellino
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN:

Countries in Asia, with their diverse populations, struggle with constructing legal systems that will deliver on the promise of equal rights to all its citizens. This book evaluates these attempts in four Asian states: India, China, Malaysia and Singapore.

Regional Minorities and Development in Asia

Regional Minorities and Development in Asia
Author: Huhua Cao
Publisher:
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2010
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Bringing together perspectives from Economics, Development and Area Studies, Geography, Anthropology, and Sociology, the book provides local narratives that shed light on some of the different needs, situations, and realities of minority region development among countries in East and Southeast Asia.

Routledge Handbook of Human Rights in Asia

Routledge Handbook of Human Rights in Asia
Author: Fernand de Varennes
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2018-12-12
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1317518195

The Routledge Handbook of Human Rights in Asia provides a rich study of human rights challenges facing some of the most vulnerable people in Asia. While formal accession to core international human rights instruments is commonplace across the region, the realisation of human rights for many remains elusive as development pressure, violent conflict, limited political will and discrimination maintain human rights volatility. This Handbook explores the underlying causes of human rights abuse in a range of contexts, considers lessons learnt from global, regional and domestic initiatives and provides recommendations and justifications for reform. Comprising 23 chapters, it examines the strengths and weaknesses of human rights institutions in Asia and covers issues such as: Participation, marginalisation, detention and exclusion Private sector responsibility and security Conflict and post-conflict rehabilitation Trafficking, displacement and citizenship Ageing populations, identity and sexuality. Drawing together a remarkable collection of leading and emerging scholars, advisers and practitioners, this Handbook is essential reading for students, scholars, policy makers and advocates of human rights in Asia and the world.

Promoting and Protecting Minority Rights

Promoting and Protecting Minority Rights
Author: United Nations
Publisher:
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2012
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

"The present guide offers information related to norms and mechanisms developed to protect the rights of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities. It includes detailed information about procedures and forums in which minority issues may be raised to minorities and by also covering selected specialized agencies and regional mechanisms, the present Guide complements information contained in Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society"--Introduction.

Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Asia

Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Asia
Author: Michelle Ann Miller
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2014-02-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317984803

Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Asia explores the relationship between ethnic minority rights and citizenship in Asia. Occupying a prominent place on the global map of conflict, Asia is one of the most ethnically diverse and racially divided regions in the world. It is also the scene of some of the most contrasting state responses to ethnic and racial conflicts, ranging from violent military repression and coercion on the one hand, to offers of autonomy and other forms of self-rule aimed at granting minorities more equal and inclusive citizenship on the other. This volume combines conceptual debates about citizenship with case studies of ethnic minorities from across the Asian region, with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asia. The contributing authors question the nature of citizenship in the broader sense of identity, belonging, and the rights and responsibilities of ethnic minorities in relation to sovereign nation-states. They examine a wide range of key issues including minority rights claims, ethnic and racial conflict, citizenship, constructions and representations of identity, post-colonialism and human security. This book was originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Nation-state and Minority Rights in India

Nation-state and Minority Rights in India
Author: Tanweer Fazal
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2014-08-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317751787

The blood-laden birth-pangs of the Indian "nation-state" undoubtedly had a bearing on the contentious issue of group rights for cultural minorities. Indeed, the trajectory of the concept ‘minority rights’ evolved amidst multiple conceptualizations, political posturing and violent mobilizations and outbursts. Accommodating minority groups posed a predicament for the fledgling "nation-state" of post-colonial India. This book compares and contrasts Muslim and Sikh communities in pre- and post-Partition India. Mapping the evolving discourse on minority rights, the author looks at the overlaps between the Constitutional and the majoritarian discourse being articulated in the public sphere and poses questions about the guaranteeing of minority rights. The book suggests that through historical ruptures and breaks , communities oscillate between being minorities and nations. Combining archival material with ethnographic fieldwork, it studies the identity groups and their vexed relationship to the ideas of nation and nationalism. It captures meanings attributed to otherwise politically loaded concepts such as nation, nation-state and minority rights in the everyday world of Muslims and Sikhs and thus tries to make sense of the patterns of accommodation, adaptation and contestation in the life-world. Successfully confronting and illuminating the challenge of reconciling representation and equality both for groups and within groups, this exploration of South Asian nationalisms and communal relations will be of interest to academics in the field of South Asian Studies, in particular Sociology and Politics.

Transnational Social Mobilisation and Minority Rights

Transnational Social Mobilisation and Minority Rights
Author: Corinne Lennox
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2019-12-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429678347

This book explores the ways in which minority groups across the world are reshaping the international minority rights protection system. It documents the actions of four major groups that are using transnational social mobilisation to achieve recognition of their identities and their rights. The result is a greater pluralism in global identity politics and a wide range of new group-specific standards that can inform policies on multiculturalism, political participation, and socio-economic inclusion in the national and international spheres. The book begins by summarising the learning from the global movements of indigenous peoples and Roma. The book then focuses in greater depth on the cases of Afro-descendants in Latin America and of Dalits and caste-affected groups in South Asia and beyond. Each case study shows the historical roots of group-specific transnational mobilisation and how activists have constructed a distinct identity frame out of shared experiences. The book explores key parallels and differences between the discourse, framing strategies, organisational structures and political opportunities used in each case to show which factors have influenced the success or failures of their norm entrepreneurship. The role that international institutions have played in supporting these efforts is given special attention, including intergovernmental bodies such as the UN, the EU and the OAS, and international non-governmental organisations. The UN World Conference Against Racism is explored as a particularly significant political opportunity across the cases. Among academic audiences, this book will appeal to those researching minority rights, social movements, global governance, discrimination and multiculturalism from legal, political, sociological and critical theory perspectives. It will also interest practitioners and activists working on minority rights and the challenges of norm compliance, socio-economic inclusion and governance.

Contentious Belonging

Contentious Belonging
Author: Greg Fealy
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2019-05-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9814843490

Contention has surrounded the status of minorities throughout Indonesian history. Two broad polarities are evident: one inclusive of minorities, regarding them as part of the nation’s rich complexity and a manifestation of its “Unity in Diversity” motto; the other exclusive, viewing with suspicion or disdain those communities or groups that differ from the perceived majority. State and community attitudes towards minorities have fluctuated over time. Some periods have been notable for the acceptance of minorities and protection of their rights, while others have been marked by anti-minority discrimination, marginalisation and sometimes violence. This book explores the complex historical and contemporary dimensions of Indonesia’s religious, ethnic, LGBT and disability minorities from a range of perspectives, including historical, legal, political, cultural, discursive and social. It addresses fundamental questions about Indonesia’s tolerance and acceptance of difference, and examines the extent to which diversity is embraced or suppressed.