Application process: closed.
Due to the large amount of application (636) we are not able to respond to each applicant individually. Therefore only selected applicants will be contacted within the 15th of May 2013. Thank you for your understanding.

Since 1999 the Institute for Minority Rights organizes a Summer School on the topics of Human Rights, Minorities and Diversity Management. The international Summer School hosts 20 - 30 students from all over the world and offers a platform to discuss and elaborate on current topics in the field of diversity management with outstanding academic experts but also practitioners from international organizations, such as political advisers of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, lawyers from the European Court of Human Rights, experts and members of the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities etc.

Special Focus 2013: The Revival of Self-determination: opportunities, concerns and challenges

In the last few years, claims for self-determination, secession and independence have entered a new phase. In Western Europe, the borders of states seemed settled yet independence movements re-gained importance in Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders. In other parts of the world, claims to form an individual state are long-standing issues and have proven to be very durable. For instance, Tibet has been claiming for its self-determination and independence from virtually 100 years. Such demand fuelled after the Chinese occupation in 1950. Other territories such as Palestine, Abkhazia and many more also have been fighting for their right to self-determination since several decades.

The International Summer School “Human Rights, Minorities and Diversity Management: Self-determination" takes up these new and old trends and analyzes them from a variety of different perspectives. The prominent role of international law in the debate of secession and self-determination will be further complemented by perspectives of political science and sociology. One the one hand, sub-national political parties as well as social movements have always been important drivers of self-determination claims. On the other hand, international players such as the United Nations, the European Union and others, maneuvered by their members, play a significant role in hindering or facilitating the right to self-determination. The emergence of new states through unilateral declarations of independence, such as in the case of Kosovo, are confronted with bilateral agreements, such as in the case of Slovakia and Czech Republic.

In particular, the Summer School aims to discuss the following topics:

• external self-determination vs. various forms and degrees of self-government
• the role of regionalist and nationalist parties
• the role of violence in independence movements
• minority rights protection
• economic and financial implications of secession and independence.

The Summer School aims to cover a broad range of geographical spectrum of independence movements, from cases in Europe (e.g., Scotland, Basque Country, Corsica, South Tyrol, Flanders) and the Balkans to Russia and Asia , the Middle East (e.g., Palestine), Asia (e.g., Tibet) and eventually excursions to Africa, South America and Canada. The Summer School brings together leading academic experts in the field of international law and political science, but also offers students a possibility to discuss with practitioners from international organizations, leaders of political and social movements and journalists.

Teaching body: Joseph Marko (University of Graz), Joshua Castellino (Middlesex Law School), Brendan o'Leary (Queen's University Belfast), Luis de la Calle (Juan March Institute), Kris Deschouwer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Wolfgang Benedek (University of Graz) etc.

For the detailed programme click here.

Who should participate?

• Post-graduate students wishing to acquire greater competitive personal competence beneficial for a future career in academia or in practice-oriented professions; • Lawyers, economists, political and social scientists and others working in non-governmental organizations;
• Civil servants from local, regional or national administrations who primarily deal with minority and diversity related issues and therefore require both theoretical and practical training in this year’s topics; and
• Journalists and teachers interested in recent developments, current theories and advanced training in related fields. 

Why should you participate?

• Listen to the experiences from the Summer School students in 2010
• Read, what former students think about the Summer School: Brian Seaman (Calgary-Canada), Evi Kostner (Italy).
• Have a look at the Summer School flyer.

Diploma and credits (possibility of a publication)

You can either chose to obtain a diploma of participation or write an essay after the Summer School and obtain 5 ECTS points (from University of Graz). The best essays will be offered the possibility to be published in the European Diversity and Autonomy Papers.   

Application Process, Tuition fees and Scholarships

Application process closed.

For problems and questions please write to meir@eurac.edu

• Tuition fee including lunch: 350€ - Accommodation, travel costs and other expenses are not covered by the tuition fee.  
• Convenient accommodation for every participant will be arranged by the organizers in the Youth Hostel of Bozen/Bolzano. 
• 8 Scholarships covering accommodation in a 4 bed-room at the Youth Hostel as well as reducing the tuition fee to 150 € are available. Selection is based on the application and in particular the short essay.

Methodology of the Summer School

Presenters and students at this year’s Institute for Minority Rights’ Summer School will be challenged with core questions regarding self-determination. The legal perspective will be focused on the theoretical aspects and on the implementation of legal standards in specific case studies. This will lay the groundwork for further discussion about the social and political implications of these new and old trends vis-à-vis self-determination, secession and independence.
Students will not only get an overall introduction to diversity management, human rights and minority rights in particular but also a focus on the dimensions of self-determination. They will have the opportunity to learn from and discuss with international leading academics, lawyers and practitioners from international organizations on how claims and policies may be successfully accommodated and implemented. The teaching approach of the Summer School will provide for interactive thought-provoking academic lectures, as well as with the opportunity to engage in hypothetical case studies and work group exercises.

Location and Institutions

The Summer School will take place in the city of Bolzano/Bozen, which itself is populated by a German-speaking minority, a majority population of Italian speakers and a third group of migrants and immigrants constituting 13% of the city’s population and which speak neither German nor Italian as their mother tongue.

This year’s Summer School is offered by the Institute for Minority Rights of the European Academy Bozen/Bolzano (EURAC) in co-operation with Middlesex University, School of Law, London and the University of Graz, Austria.

EURAC - The European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano is located in the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol in northern Italy. The case of South Tyrol is often referred to as a model case of self-governance as well as a model solution for minority protection and of the accommodation of diversity. Hence EURAC is able to provide exceptional theoretical and practical knowledge in the examination and application of issues related to minority protection and regionalism, as well as in relation to immigration in regions with strong cultural identities.  

Middlesex University School of Law offers a distinctive global perspective and environment for students and researchers. As well as established undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in law, there are a number of minority rights academics who form part of the staff, researching in areas including minority rights in Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, international criminal law and indigenous peoples’ rights. The recent addition of the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre to the School of Law, which assists non-governmental organisations and lawyers in Russia and the South Caucasus in taking cases to the European Court of Human Rights, has added expertise in human rights litigation. The annual Minority Rights Summer School has been hosted by staff from the School of Law, in conjunction with the Irish Centre for Human Rights, for over a decade.

University of Graz

Past editions of the International Summer School on Human Rights, Minorities and Diversity Management

2012 - Europe and Canada: Comparative issues and challenges. Flyer and programme.

2011 - Linguistic Diversity. Flyer and programme