Tatars: A Culture in Crisis

In March of 2014, the Tatars: A Culture in Crisis had a parliament vote in the Crimea to recognize the Tatars’ language, place names and minority rights in their homeland in the Crimea. The Tatars are a little-known culture group in crisis due to no fault of their own.

The Tatars are located in the south of Ukraine and have about two million people, with Tatar territory about the size of Belgium.  Most of the Tatars were expelled during World War II by Joseph Stalin.  As the People’s Commissar for Nationalities, he caused the Diaspora of the Tatars into Turkey and other surrounding regions.  At the same time, Stalin forced native Russians into the Crimea, replacing the expelled Tatars.  The descendants of those imported peoples are the ones now claiming they want to be part of Russia.  This is why the Tatars: A Culture in Crisis are profoundly affected by Russian aggression.

It seems the Crimean Parliament has done too little too late for the Tatars. However, even if they loose their autonomy and the Crimea secedes from the Ukraine, perhaps they won’t totally loose their culture if the parliament vote today has any real meaning. Follow this link to get the Tatars: A Culture in Crisis, take on this tragic situation.  You will need to copy (Control C) and paste (Control V) the link into your browser.

https://www.turkishpress.com/news/394059/

Explore More! in Cultural Anthropology.  Learn which Global Village the Tatars are located and discover other cultures that are also in crisis mode for different reasons.