Chapter 5. Inclusion and mobility in the multilingual region of Vojvodina

Abstract

International and internal mobility can result in both linguistic diversity and forced migration due to intended homogenisation efforts (e.g. “ethnic unmixing” in the successor states of former Yugoslavia). International minority rights instruments scarcely address the questions of mobility and multilingualism. Vojvodina is expected to be a multilingual region in Serbia, an EU-candidate state, according to the laws on language use. Recent migratory trends in Vojvodina – within Serbia and from Serbia to Hungary and other EU states – have changed the “identity landscape” of a region that possesses deeply anchored multinational–multilingual traditions. An important question, therefore, is how existing legal provisions on language rights could offer protection to minority language speakers. International actors also promote the respect for and protection of minority language rights, reflected in the broad political and normative commitments made by Serbia within the context of EU-accession process. However, this political objective is often not achieved, a frequently observed obstacle being that local authorities see any attempt at implementing those language rights more as a burden than an opportunity. This chapter addresses questions such as: How is the legal framework implemented in practice (de iure vs. de facto use of minority languages)? What influence may international norms have on language rights regime? What influence do kin-state policies have?