Claiming Indigeneity in Europe: Livonian activism for language protection

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article addresses the impact of international law in the fields of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding and the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples on national legislative and policymaking processes related to the legal status of the Livonian language and the Livonian people in Latvia. As argued in this article, recent international law developments and purposeful claims of Indigeneity have served as an efficient argument used through Livonian activism at the national level to strengthen their language protection and to gain increased policy support for the practice and continuity of Livonian language and culture.