The Role of Language in (Re)creating Tatar Diaspora Identity: The Case of the Estonian Tatars
The Role of Language in (Re)creating Tatar Diaspora Identity: The Case of the Estonian Tatars

Summary/Abstract: This paper focuses on the meanings assigned to the Tatar language among the Tatar diaspora in Estonia. According to interviews with Estonian Tatars, language is an important aspect of Tatar ethnic identity. This paper will track common discourses about the Tatar language and the way it is connected to Tatar ethnic identity. Issues concerning the Tatar language are used to demonstrate various ways of enacting Tatarness in Estonia. The paper shows that Estonian Tatars worry about the vitality and purity of Tatar, but for some, marginalisation of dialects is also an issue. People categorised with the same identity labels by themselves and others can experience and enact their Tatarness in a variety of different ways.

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