Minority Protection in Germany
The Sorbs of Lusatia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The Sorbs of Lusatia as a Western Slavic ethnic group are recognized and promoted as a national minority in the Federal Republic of Germany. The constitutions of their home states of Brandenburg and Saxony as well as other legal regulations guarantee them the freedom to declare themselves a part of this minority, the right to use the Sorbian language in the public sphere, and political interest representation. Efforts are underway to counter the strong linguistic tendency to assimilate. In particular, these measures include action in the field of language policy and safeguards for a political and financial framework to counter-balance the structural disadvantages that minorities face.
(Osteuropa 11/2007, pp. 195–210)