Introduction: Fighting for Security from a Minor Perspective and Against Securitisation of Minorities in Europe

Abstract

Sharing spaces among different ethnic, religious, and cultural groups in diverse societies is a major problem globally, particularly for minority communities, as states are often inclined to perceive minorities and indigenous groups as a threat, meaning that their presence evokes a sense of insecurity. This attitude departs from a premise that “[s]ecurity is about what is a threat...” (Buzan et al., 1998, p. 204), which means that the societal inclination towards “[p]ursuit about the freedom of threat” (Buzan, 2008, p. 37) determines approaches towards minorities. However, security should not be considered as a reverse of insecurity, although “...[h]ow security is defined conditions what is considered as insecurity (risk, threat)” (C.A.S.E., 2006, p. 257). Perceiving minorities as threat is often reflected in the state policy agenda; it affects representation and leads to unfair competition and negative attitudes of majority groups towards minorities that easily turn into other forms of injustices and discrimination (European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, 2005). As a result, minorities can be exposed to exclusionist political attitudes, discriminatory or xenophobic attacks, and intolerance or violence by a majority group (Côté & Erickson, 2009; Dustmann & Preston, 2001; Vergeer et al., 2000). Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe