Kahvehane Kongresspark

“Kahvehane (Coffeehouse) Kongresspark”explores the question of transcultural relations and belonging through an artistic exploration of coffee and its cultural history. The project was commissioned as an urban art intervention by the 'Soho in Ottakring' Biennial in Vienna. Organic and fair-trade coffee, sponsored by Kaffee Alt Wien , was served free of charge to the public in specially designed cups and saucers, which were created at the Ceramics Research Centre at the University of Westminster. The designs reflect coffee’s shared multi-ethnic history and the globalization of coffee.The project includes an interactive lecture-performance exploring the many legends about the origins of coffee tracing its journey from Ethiopia, the Arabian peninsula through the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) to Vienna and across the entire globe. While adopting a humorous take on the globalization of coffee, the performance sheds light on the history of colonialism and question the conditions of contemporary trade. The performance was written and performed in collaboration with Bharatanatyam artist and actor Shane Shambhu.

Introduction: dispersed minorities and non-territorial autonomy

The concept of non-territorial autonomy gives rise to at least two important questions: the range of functional areas over which autonomy extends, and the extent to which this autonomy is indeed non-territorial. A widely used early description significantly labelled this ‘national cultural autonomy’, implying that its focus is mainly on cultural matters, such as language, religion, education and family law. In many of the cases that are commonly cited, ‘autonomy’ may not even extend this far: its most visible expression is the existence of separate electoral registers or quotas for the various groups. Part of the dilemma lies in the difficulty of devolving substantial power on a non-territorial basis: to the extent that devolved institutions are state-like, they ideally require a defined territory. Ethnic groups, however, vary in the extent to which they are territorially concentrated, and therefore in the degree to which any autonomous arrangements for them are territorial or non-territorial. This article explores the dilemma generated by this tension between ethnic geography (pattern of ethnic settlement) and political autonomy (degree of selfrule), and introduces a set of case studies where the relationship between these two features is discussed further: the Ottoman empire and its successor states, the Habsburg monarchy, the Jewish minorities of Europe, interwar Estonia, contemporary Belgium, and two indigenous peoples, the Sa´mi in Norway and the Maori in New Zealand.

Conclusion: patterns of non-territorial autonomy

This article seeks to generalise about the significance of non-territorial autonomy as a mechanism for the management of ethnic conflict on the basis of a set of case studies covering the Ottoman empire and its successor states, the Habsburg monarchy, the Jewish minorities of Europe, interwar Estonia, contemporary Belgium, and two indigenous peoples, the Sami in Norway and Maori in New Zealand. It begins by assessing the extent to which the spatial distribution of ethnonational communities determined the range of autonomy options available—whether these might be territorial or whether only non-territorial autonomy would be realistic. The article continues with an assessment of the significance of ‘autonomy’ in circumstances where the institutions with which it is associated enjoy a non-territorial rather than a territorial writ. It concludes by suggesting that in almost all cases where autonomy is extended to a minority within a state this is exercised on a territorial basis, and that in many cases of non-territorial autonomy, or national–cultural autonomy, the powers assumed by the ‘autonomous’ institutions are substantially symbolic. It argues that notwithstanding the limited empirical evidence for the existence of non-territorial autonomy, this device should not be written off at a normative level.

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (XML)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. jms_048_08_1898_010_xml.xml

Joseph Mathia Svoboda Tigris River Journal; Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (HTML)

Joseph Mathia Svoboda's 19th century journal of commercial voyages, travel, and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898-February 1899. Diary 48, HTML Version. jms_048_08_1898_030_htm.html

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (TXT)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. jms_048_08_1898_020_trf.txt

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (Summary)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. jms_048_08_1898_040_sum.html

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (TEX)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. jms_048_08_1898_050_tex.tex

Joseph Mathia Svoboda Tigris River Journal; Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (PDF)

Joseph Mathia Svoboda's 19th century journal of commercial voyages, travel, and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898-February 1899. Diary 48, PDF Version. jms_048_08_1898_060_pdf.pdf

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (XLSX)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. jms_048_08_1898_110_arb.xlsx

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (Arabic)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. Arabic translations. jms_048_08_1898_120_arb.html

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (Word List)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. jms_048_08_1898_150_wla.txt

Diary 48 August 1898-February 1899 (CSV)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from August 1898 to February 1899. jms_048_08_1898_160_csv.csv

Diary 49 February 1899-October 1899 (XML)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from February 1899 to October 1899. jms_049_02_1899_010_xml.xml

Diary 49 February 1899-October 1899 (TXT)

A journal of commercial voyages and domestic life on the Tigris River from February 1899 to October 1899. jms_049_02_1899_020_trf.txt