Beyond borders: The story of peoples without a homeland
Today, there are nations that, for historical reasons, do not have their own states. These are millions of people who have their own language, culture, and customs. But they don’t have the most important thing — a homeland. People without a homeland are broadly divided into two categories: stateless nations, which are ethnic or cultural groups that do not have their own sovereign State, and stateless persons, who are not considered citizens of any country in accordance with its legislation.
Notable stateless countries include Kurds, Palestinians, etc. Today, there are nations that, for historical reasons, do not have their own states. These are millions of people who have their own language, culture, and customs. But they don’t have the most important thing — a homeland.
The 5 largest stateless nations
1. Kurds
The largest nation without a state is the Kurds. Their number, including diasporas, ranges from 20 to 40 million people. They live in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Contrary to misconceptions, these are predominantly Muslims of non-Arab origin. Scholars attribute ethnic affinity to the Kurds with the Azerbaijani, Armenian, Georgian, and Jewish peoples. A typical Kurdish man in a cloth vest, trousers, and with a dagger in his belt, resembles Aladdin from a Disney fairy tale. However, in reality, he is a farmer or cattle breeder, leading a semi-nomadic lifestyle with his family.
The unrecognized Kurdistan region is located in the very center of the Middle East and is thus doomed to be an eternal participant in border conflicts. However, there were also quiet years. Thus, during the Arab Caliphate in the 7th–9th centuries, the Kurds were equal in rights with the Arabs. There is peace in the Caliphate. However, the Kurds have not created a national state during this time. The caliphate collapsed. It was replaced by the protracted wars of Persia and the Ottoman Empire, when the Ardalan Khanate, the possession of the Kurds, changed hands, occasionally becoming independent. This continued until the 19th century.
It should be noted that among the Kurds, there were leaders and entire dynasties who ruled not only their khanate, but also other peoples. Among them is the famous Saladin, ruler of almost the entire Middle East and North Africa in the 12th century. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. The Kurdish Safavid dynasty has ruled the Iranian province of Azerbaijan since the 14th century. Twice, its rulers became the head of the whole of Persia.
The Kurdish people came closer to autonomy after the First World War. At that time, the leading powers considered the creation of an independent Kurdistan within the framework of the Sèvres Peace Treaty. However, the ideas were not implemented. Since then, the Kurds have not found their “father’s house”. In Iraq, they managed to win back special rights and legitimize the autonomy of their region. In Turkey, the struggle for autonomy continues to this day.
2. The Sikhs
A bearded man in a huge turban is what the average Sikh looks like. There are about 20 million representatives of this people in the world. Sikhs come from the northwestern part of India, the Punjab state, bordering Pakistan. Most of them belong to the class of Jat landowners. The Sikhs have reached great heights in agriculture, becoming one of the wealthiest peoples in India. Even though Sikhs are under Muslim and Hindu influence, they have their own unique cultural identity.
Sikhs practice Sikhism, a religion based on qualities such as tolerance and kindness. There is only one God, and there are no other deities, spirits, demons, heaven, or hell. After death, a person returns to the bosom of nature. God represents a human being who knows neither anger nor passions. Sikhs express their faith through meditation and prayer. For followers of Sikhism, all people are brothers and sisters worthy of respect and love. Those who have been to India have a saying for a reason: “If you want help, ask a Sikh for it.”
An important element of Sikhism is respect for the freedom of others, which Sikhs have not always reciprocated with representatives of other faiths. In the 19th century, ruler Ranjit Singh made the territory of the Sikhs a real empire, which expanded into part of the lands of modern Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. Nevertheless, in colonial times, the empire was lost. After World War II, the country was divided into three states: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
In the 70s of the last century, against the background of the confrontation with the Hindus, the idea of separation from India and the formation of their own state, Khalistan, spread among the Sikhs. The Indian government did not like this scenario. The armed conflict lasted for a decade and claimed about 20,000 lives on both sides. The situation in Punjab is calm now: Sikhs peacefully coexist with Indians. They defended a number of special rights, including religious autonomy. Sikh representatives are found among government officials, sometimes in high positions, and every fifth officer in the Indian army is a Sikh.
3. Gypsies
The third largest ethnic group without a state is the Gypsies. They are a nomadic group of people originally from northwestern India with a language related to Sanskrit. Their number, according to various estimates, ranges from 9 to 12 million people. Eurasia, Africa, Australia, North and South America — there are hardly any places in the world where modern Gypsies do not live. They themselves prefer the name “Roma” (from “Romani” — “man”).
Being closed in everyday life and communication to outsiders, the Roma remain a little-studied group of people to this day. There is a lot of debate about the class of Gypsies. According to the first assumption, they are descendants of Indian ethnic groups at the lowest levels of the caste hierarchy. According to another version, Gypsies are descendants of the Indian dom caste, whose occupations, such as blacksmithing, singing, and dancing, belong to traditional gypsy crafts. The caste was close to the nobility. Its representatives not only conjured snakes, entertained the gentlemen with music and dancing, but also served the household needs of the palace, offering their craft skills.
It is assumed that the Roma became nomads not because of a passion for vagrancy, but because they were discriminated against by local legislation. The migration of Gypsies began in the 11th century. The reason was a series of Islamic invasions led by Mahmud Ghaznavi,. For two centuries, the Roma moved westward through Persia, Armenia, and Byzantium. In Byzantium, they developed skills in metalworking and, having reached the Balkans, ensured a stable demand for their services. At the same time, the Europeans did not like foreigners.
Not all Gypsies fled the Islamic expansion into Europe. Some of them migrated to the territories of today’s Turkey and Armenia. This is how the Lom sub-ethnic group was formed. Others — dom — settled in the Middle East. As for North and South America, as well as Australia, the abolition of slavery was the impetus for a new wave of migration. Modern Gypsies are an extraterritorial ethnic group with their own languages, customs, and culture. They have been a member of the United Nations since 1979 and have been fighting racism and discrimination. Despite the fact that Gypsies do not have and do not expect their own state, these days they are people who are ready to take their place in a diverse society. Read also the interview of “My Planet”, “The rules of life of a gypsy dancer”.
4. The Uyghurs
The modern history of the Uyghurs, the indigenous people of East Turkestan, located in the far west of China, does not present such bright prospects. There are about 10 million of them in the world. They are a Turkic people who practice Sunni Islam. Culturally and ethnically, Uyghurs are close to Uzbeks and Kazakhs. Since ancient times, they have been engaged in trade and agriculture. They have their own language, traditions, and culture that have spread far beyond the borders of their historical homeland. The Uyghurs achieved their greatest success in miniature painting, folk music, and literature.
Previously, the cities of Xinjiang Province were part of the Great Silk Road and served as a transit point for merchants. The concept of statehood is not new to the Uyghurs. In the first millennium, the Uyghurs people formed one of the largest countries in the history of mankind — the Turkic Khaganate, under the influence of which the Asia of the Middle Ages was formed. The Khaganate stretched from the Irtysh River on the border of modern Russia and Kazakhstan all the way to the Ural Mountains.
In the 18th century, the region was conquered by the Chinese Qin Dynasty, which assigned it the name Xinjiang (“new frontier”). Numerous repressions by the Chinese authorities provoked an uprising of the indigenous population. During the civil war of the 1930s and 1940s, the Uyghurs won independence twice, but each time their lands were returned to China. Nevertheless, the Turkic people’s desire for independence has not disappeared.
Nowadays, the situation of modern Uyghurs resembles the dystopia of the future. Despite the fact that the region is rich in natural resources, people live in poverty. Resources are being redirected to Eastern China to meet the country’s military needs. The Chinese government has accused the Uyghurs of religious propaganda. A reinforced military presence has been established in the region, video surveillance has been installed for residents, and Uyghur passports are in police custody. With the help of artificial intelligence, residents of Xinjiang Province have turned on a social rating system, where they are assessed for their trustworthiness as Chinese citizens. Those who resist are sent to prisons and camps.
5. The Catalans
The burden of being forced to join another State is familiar not only to residents of Asian countries. The Catalan European people, whose number, according to recent estimates, has exceeded 8 million, have not been able to outline and legitimize the borders of their state for centuries. Catalans have a language that, although it belongs to the Romance subgroup of Indo-European languages, is quite independent of Spanish. Nine out of ten Catalans live in Spain, while the rest have settled in Western Europe and Latin America.
The ancestors of the Catalans, the Iberian tribes, settled on the lands of modern Catalonia in the first millennium BC. In the Middle Ages, a state consisting of separate counties was formed here. All of them were politically independent, but in one way or another, they were influenced by the Franks. The most powerful of them was Barcelona. In 988, after the invasion of the Moors, the locals, taking advantage of the weakening of the Franks, declared their independence. This year is considered the date of the founding of Catalonia.
The County of Barcelona grew and strengthened its position in Southern Europe until Catalonia became part of the Kingdom of Aragon in 1137. The Catalans still managed to preserve their political rights, so joining Aragon was not perceived painful by them. In the 15th century, King Ferdinand married Isabella of Castile, which led to the unification of the Kingdom of Aragon and Castile. This is how Spain appeared in 1516. Since then, the rights and freedoms of Catalans have been curtailed. In the 18th century, the Spaniards banned the Catalan language, destroyed the constitution, and imposed censorship. In one form or another, this has been going on for over 200 years.
Autonomy was restored in 1978 with the fall of dictator Francisco Franco. Catalans were redefined as a nation, and their language became official. In 2017, the Catalans declared the need for a referendum, followed by secession from Spain and the formation of a national state. Despite the fact that under international law every nation has the right to self-determination, up to and including secession, Madrid suppressed this initiative, citing Article 155 of the Constitution. The separation did not take place. According to the referendum, 1.6 million Catalans out of 2 million voted for the autonomy of their future country. At the same time, numerous opinion polls have shown that the opinions of Catalans for or against independence from Spain are roughly equally divided.
