188. ‘Centre for Multiethnic Culture’ – an organisation for the study and monitoring of ethnic minorities and their life in Latgale (Daugavpils, 1993-2000)

Keywords

2. Author information
2.1 Author’s Name
Svetlana Ryzhakova

2.2 Institutional Affiliation and Contact Details:
Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology
Russian Academy of Sciences
Leninsky prospekt 32-a
Moscow 117334
Russia

Tel/fax: (095) 938-5941
E-mail: lana@mega.ru

2.3 Date recorded
10/12/2000

3. Good Practice Information Sheet
3.1 Local Level Good Practice
Creating a database on the history and contemporary status of the ethnic groups in the Latgale region, providing necessary political and cultural conditions for the harmonious development of all ethnic groups, for tolerance and mutual interest. Elaboration of educational and information programs, establishment of scientific, cultural and social structures for the realisation of these tasks.

3.2 Location
Daugavpils district, Latvia

3.3 Minority/Target Groups
Russians, Jews, Poles, Belorussians, Latish.

3.4 Major Actors Involved

3.5 Budget allocated by local government authorities and/or by other actors
The "Centre for Multiethnic Culture"(Henceforth CMC) is a private scientific institution financed by its Director A. Prieditis.

3.6 Timeframe
The initiative was first proposed and put into practice in April 1993, and is expected to continue indefinitely

3.7 Local level good practice relation to national level ethnic policy
The relationship between the State and ethnic groups (minorities) in the Latvian Republic are regulated by principles of the national law "On free development of ethnic groups in Latvian Republic and on the right to cultural autonomy" (19/03/1991). CMC activities are aimed at helping these principles be implemented

4. Good Practice Description
In Latvia, especially in its eastern part – Latgale, the population has always been multi-ethnic, comprised of Russians, Jews, Poles, Belorussians, Lithuanians and representatives of some other nations. In 1996 the population in Daugavpils consisted of 27 ethnic groups including Russians (56%), Latvian (15%), Poles (15%), Belorussians (9%), Ukrainians (2%).

A Western-type approach to the relation between state and civil society is currently dominant in Latvia. This means the state abandoned the policy of interfering in the country’s ethnic cultures’ development, giving such groups the opportunity to choose their own ways. On the one hand, this policy gives positive results, but on the other hand, it is giving rise to certain processes of cultural self-isolation. Such a phenomenon is very dangerous in a district as multi-ethnic as Daugavpils.

The number of state schools has been cut down; minorities’ languages are increasingly marginalized in social and political life; the state gives full freedom to ethnic minorities and to its associations but at the same time leaves them on their own. All these process taken together are reducing the level of contact between the state, local authorities and minorities. This is why the activities of the CMC, in fact, in some respects are replacing the functions of local government.

The underlying orientation of the CMC is the idea of multiculturalism and its main goal is to conduct studies of minority cultures (in the first instance those of Russians, Jews, Poles, Belorussians, Lithuanians), and monitor these groups’ social, cultural and political life, and their relations with the Latvian majority. The organisation sees its concrete tasks as being to study the multiethnic cultural heritage of Latgale; to study the theory of multiculturalism; to engage with cultural history; to teach languages; to carry out intercultural; educational; sociological and cross-cultural studies; to co-operate with scientific, ethno-cultural and educational organisations in Latvia and in other countries. This translates into the following practical activities: publishing material, monitoring developments, organising scientific conferences, seminars, lectures, mapping out programs for interethnic co-operation, maintaining international contacts relevant to studying the position of ethnic minorities’ positions in Latgale, and mapping the likelihood of positive changes.

CMC has so far organised scientific and practical seminars such as the following: "Teacher training and multicultural society"; "Old believers’ culture in Latvia"; "Multinational society: culture and ethnopolitics"; "Curricula and programs in multiethnic school" (together with the 3^rd secondary school of the town of Kraslava); "Culture, business management and space policy"; "centre vs. periphery"; "Tolerance and intercultural dialogue"; "Political nation in Latvia"; "Russian culture at the boundary of the two epochs"; "Latvian language in Latgale".

The MCC has its own publishing house, the "A.C.A", a scientific periodical, "Kultura un Vards" (Culture and word).

Putting in practice the intercultural concept in relation to education, the Varaviksne ("Rainbow") school in Kraslava (the Russian classical gymnasium of Riga) is co-operating actively with the MCC. Special Latvian-language classes are being organized.

The MCC works in collaboration with the UNESCO Association of Latvia and is a collective member of the International Association of Intercultural Education (IAIE).