Stateless nation


A stateless nation is an ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own sovereign state. Use of the term implies that such ethnic groups have the right to self-determination, to establish an independent nation-state with its own government. Members of stateless nations may be citizens of the country in which they live, or they may be denied citizenship by that country. Stateless nations are usually not represented in international sports or in international organisations such as the United Nations. Nations without a state are classified as fourth-world nations. Some stateless nations have a history of statehood, while some were always stateless.

History

The term was coined in 1983 by political scientist Jacques Leruez in his book L'Écosse, une nation sans État about the position of Scotland within the United Kingdom. It was later adopted and popularized by Scottish scholars such as David McCrone, Michael Keating and T. M. Devine.
Ethnicities described as stateless nations can be dispersed across a number of states or form the native population of a province within a larger state. Some stateless nations historically had a state, which was absorbed by another; for example, Tibet's declaration of independence in 1913 was not recognized, and it was reunited in 1951 by the People's Republic of China - which claims that Tibet is an integral part of China, while the Tibetan government-in-exile maintains that Tibet is an independent state under an unlawful occupation.
Stateless nations can have large populations; for example, the Kurds have an estimated population of over 30 million people, which makes them one of the largest stateless nations.

Nation-states and nations without states

The symbiotic relationship between nations and states arose in Western Europe during the 18th century, and it was exported to the rest of the world through colonial rule. Whereas the Western European nation-states are at present relinquishing some of their powers to the European Union, many of the former colonies are now the zealous defenders of the concept of national statehood. However, not all peoples within multi-cultural states consider themselves stateless nations. As not all states are nation states, there are ethnic groups who live in multinational states that are not considered "stateless nations".
Only a small fraction of the world's national groups have associated nation states; the rest are distributed in one or more states. While there are over 3000 estimated nations in the world, there were only 193 member states of the United Nations as of 2011, of which fewer than 20 are considered to be ethnically homogeneous nation states. Thus nation states are not as common as often assumed, and stateless nations are the overwhelming majority of nations in the world.

Consequences of colonialism and imperialism

During the imperial and colonial era, powerful nations extended their influence outside their homeland; resulting in many colonized nations ceasing to be self-governing and being described as stateless nations thereafter. Some nations have been victims of "carve-outs" that left their homeland divided among several countries. Even today, the colonial boundaries form modern national boundaries. These boundaries often differ from cultural boundaries which results in situations wherein people who speak the same language or have the same culture are divided by national borders; for example, New Guinea is split into the regions of West Papua and Papua New Guinea. During decolonization, the colonial powers imposed a unified state structure irrespective of the ethnic differences and granted independence to their colonies as a multinational state. This led to successor states with many minority ethnic groups in them, which increased the potential for ethnic conflicts. Some of these minority groups campaigned for self-determination. Stateless nations were not protected in all countries and as a result, they became victims of atrocities such as discrimination, ethnic cleansing, genocide, forced assimilation, and the exploitation of labor and natural resources.

Nationalism and stateless nations

People with a common origin, history, language, culture, customs or religion can turn into a nation through the awakening of national consciousness. A nation can exist without a state, as is exemplified by the stateless nations. Citizenship is not always the nationality of a person. In a multinational state, different national identities can coexist or compete: for example, in Britain English nationalism, Scottish nationalism, and Welsh nationalism exist and are held together by British nationalism. Nationalism is often connected to separatism because a nation is considered to achieve completeness through its independence.
Throughout history, numerous nations declared their independence, but not all succeeded in establishing a state. Even today, there are active autonomy and independence movements around the world. The claim of the stateless nations to self-determination is often denied due to geopolitical interests and increasing globalization of the world. Stateless nations sometimes show solidarity with other stateless nations and maintain diplomatic relations.

List of stateless nations

The following is a list of ethnic and national groups where there exist notable independence movements as evidenced by standalone Wikipedia articles.
States made bold under the "homeland" column are countries of the respective ethnic groups which are native to them and still host the majority of their population.
PeopleFlagLanguagesLanguage familyPredominant religionPopulationContinentStatesHomelandIrredentist movementNotes
TelugusTelugu languageDravidian languagesHinduism, Christianity, Islam95,000,000AsiaIndiaTelangana, Andhra PradeshTelangana movement, Dravida Nadu, RayalaseemaSeeks regional autonomy and separate statehood for Rayalaseema following the Telangana movement. Form the largest ethnic group in the Dravida Nadu concept.
TamilsTamil languageDravidian languagesHinduism, Christianity, Islam80,000,000AsiaIndia, Sri LankaTamil Nadu, Tamil EelamTamil nationalism, Dravida Nadu, Tamil EelamHistorically occupied Tamilakam, the Jaffna Kingdom and the Vanni chieftaincies. Seeks more regional autonomy for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu or form a sovereign nation along with other South Indian states as Dravida Nadu. Demand for autonomy in the Northern and Eastern Provinces or total secession from Sri Lanka.
CantoneseCantoneseSino-Tibetan languagesTaoism, Buddhism, Christianity 68,000,000AsiaChinaGuangdongCantonese nationalismHistorically occupied the Nanyue kingdom.
Oromo peopleOromoCushitic languagesChristian, Muslim, Waaqeffanna41,693,650AfricaEthiopia, KenyaOromiaOromo conflict
KurdsKurdish languages, Arabic, Turkish, Persian Iranian languagesIslam, Zoroastrianism, Yarsanism, Yazidism36,000,000–46,000,000AsiaTurkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Germany KurdistanKurdish nationalism, Kurdish–Turkish conflict, Kurdish-Iranian conflict, Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, and Kurdish–Syrian conflict, 2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendumRegional autonomy achieved in Iraqi Kurdistan and Rojava. Data rough due to censuses not taking ethnicity in homeland countries.
Yoruba peopleYoruba languageVolta–Congo languagesChristianity, Islam, Yoruba religion35,000,000AfricaNigeria, Benin and Togo, GhanaYorubalandOodua Peoples Congress
Igbo peopleIgbo, EnglishVolta–Congo languagesChristianity, Indigenous beliefs30,000,000AfricaNigeria IgbolandMovement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, Indigenous People of BiafraAttempted secession from Nigeria in 1967 sparked the Nigerian Civil war.
SikhsPunjabi, Dogri,KashmiriIndo-Aryan languages, Dardic languagesSikhism25,000,000–30,000,000AsiaIndiaPunjabKhalistan movementSeeks greater regional autonomy for the Sikhs of Punjab or total secession from India. Sikh nationalism.
ShanghaineseShanghaineseSino-Tibetan languagesChinese folk religion, Buddhism, Christianity 20,000,000AsiaChinaShanghaiShanghai National PartyHistorically occupied the Shanghai International Settlement.
Occitan peopleOccitan, French, Italian, SpanishRomance languagesRoman Catholicism16,000,000EuropeFrance, Monaco, Italy and Spain OccitaniaOccitan nationalism Seek self-determination, greater autonomy or total secession from France.
Assamese peopleAssamese languageIndo-Aryan languagesHinduism15,000,000AsiaIndiaAssamAssam separatist movements, ULFA Insurgency in Northeast IndiaSeeks greater regional autonomy for natives of Assam or total secession from India.
Uyghur peopleUyghur languageTurkic languagesSunni Islam15,000,000AsiaChina, Kazakhstan, UzbekistanEast Turkestan Irredentism is politically fragmented Limited autonomy in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Zulu peopleZulu languageVolta–Congo languagesChristianity, Zulu religion12,159,000AfricaSouth Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, EswatiniKwaZulu-NatalInkatha Freedom PartyLimited autonomy in the KwaZulu-Natal region, which maintains a traditional Zulu king.
HazarasHazaragi dialect of Persian LanguageIranian LanguagesIslam 10,000,000-14,000,000AsiaAfghanistanHazaristanPersecution of HazarasHazara nationalism
Romani peopleRomani languageIndo-Aryan languagesChristianity, Islam, Hinduism12,000,000Worldwide, mostly Eastern Europe and AmericasOriginally North India; Romanistan The Romani people are a non-territorial nation.
Kongo peopleKongo language, Lingala, Portuguese, FrenchVolta–Congo languagesChristianity, African Traditional Religion11,560,000 AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, AngolaKongoKongo nationalism, Bundu dia KongoHistorically occupied the independent Kingdom of Kongo.
Maya peoplesMayan languagesMayan languagesChristianity, Maya religion10,500,000 North AmericaGuatemala, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El SalvadorMesoamericaPan-Maya movement, Rigoberta Menchú, Zapatista Army of National LiberationHistorically occupied the Maya civilization.
SylhetisSylheti languageIndo-Aryan languagesIslam, Hinduism, Christianity10,300,000AsiaBangladesh and IndiaGreater SylhetSylheti nationalismThe Sylheti people advocate for the recognition of Sylheti as a distinct language, separate from Bengali, and emphasize the preservation and promotion of their cultural and linguistic identity.
Bulgarian TurksTurkish languageTurkic languagesSunni Islam590.000-800.000EuropeBulgariaDPS – New Beginning--
Baloch peopleBalochiIranian languagesSunni Islam10,000,000AsiaPakistan, Iran, AfghanistanBalochistanBalochistan conflict, Baloch nationalismSeek to establish an independent sovereign state for the Baloch people, separate from Pakistan and Iran.
AndalusiansAndalusian Spanish, English Romance languagesChristianity 9,500,000EuropeSpain, GibraltarAndalusiaAndalusian nationalismSee also Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain.
CatalansCatalan, Occitan, Catalan Sign LanguageRomance languages, Catalan Sign LanguagesRoman Catholicism, Agnosticism8,500,000EuropeSpain, Italy, Andorra and FranceCatalan CountriesCatalan independence movement, Catalan nationalismSee also Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain. Historically occupied most of the Crown of Aragon: the Principality of Catalonia, the kingdoms of Valencia and Mallorca and part of Aragon, and the Kingdom of Sardinia's town of Alghero.
Lombard peopleLombard languageRomance languagesChristianity 8,221,000 EuropeItaly, SwitzerlandLombardy Lombard nationalism, Pro Lombardy Independence, Lombard League
QuébécoisFrenchRomance languagesChristianity 8,215,000North AmericaCanadaQuebecQuebec sovereignty movement, Quebec nationalismThe total population of the Province of Quebec is 8.2 million, of which over 80% are French speakers.
Kashmiri peopleKashmiri languageIndo-Aryan languagesIslam, Hindu minority8,050,000 AsiaIndia and PakistanKashmirInsurgency in Jammu and KashmirAdministered by India, Pakistan and China.
HongkongersHong Kong Cantonese, Hong Kong EnglishSino-Tibetan languagesChristianity, Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Taoism, Islam7,498,100AsiaChinaHong KongHong Kong nationalism, Hong Kong independence movementLimited autonomy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Tibetan peopleTibetan language, Chinese language, Tibetan Sign LanguageSino-Tibetan languages, Tibetan Sign LanguageBuddhism7,000,000AsiaChina, India, NepalTibetTibetan independence movementLimited autonomy in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Historically occupied the Tibetan Empire.
Moro peopleFilipino language, other Philippine languagesAustronesian languagesIslam6,356,000 AsiaPhilippinesMuslim MindanaoMoro autonomyThe Moro people of Muslim Mindanao has since been granted autonomy as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region with the adoption of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Riffian peopleRiffian language, ArabicBerber languagesIslam6,000,000AfricaMorocco and SpainRifRif War, Rif Republic95% of the land is controlled by Morocco with the rest being controlled by the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla as autonomous cities.
MonMon languageAustroasiatic languagesBuddhism5,350,000 AsiaMyanmarMon StateHistorically occupied Hanthawaddy kingdom
Hmong peopleHmong languageHmong–Mien LanguagesAnimism5,200,000 AsiaLaos, China, Vietnam, Myanmar and ThailandHmong ChaoFa Federated StateInsurgency in Laos
Arakanese Rakhine languageSino-Tibetan languagesBuddhism5,110,000 AsiaMyanmarRakhine StateUnited League of ArakanHistorically occupied Kingdom of Mrauk U
CircassiansAdyghe language, Kabardian language, Ubykh language, RussianNorthwest Caucasian languagesIslam5,300,000EuropeRussiaCircassiaRusso-Circassian War, Circassian nationalism95–97% of Circassians were killed or exiled by Russia during the Circassian genocide.
ShanShan languageKra–Dai languagesBuddhism5,000,000AsiaMyanmarShan StateRestoration Council of Shan State
Shan State Progressive Party
Peace and Solidarity Committee		Historically occupied Federated Shan States
SiciliansSicilian, Italian, Gallo-Italic of Sicily, ArbëreshRomance languagesChristianity 5,000,000 EuropeItalySicilySicilian nationalism, Sicilian Action MovementRegional autonomy in Sicily.
Venetian peopleVenetian languageRomance languagesCatholicism5,000,000 EuropeItalyVenetoVenetian nationalismMany groups seek for total independence from Italy, while some just want more autonomy and recognition of Venetian language and people. Historically occupied the independent Republic of Venice.
Scottish peopleScottish Gaelic, ScotsCeltic languagesChristianity 5,000,000 EuropeUnited KingdomScotlandScottish independenceFormerly a Sovereign state, Regional autonomy in Scotland.
BretonsBreton, Gallo, French,Celtic languagesRoman Catholicism4,800,000EuropeFranceBrittanyBreton nationalismSeek self-determination, greater autonomy or total secession from France.
Karen Karenic languagesSino-Tibetan languagesBuddhism, Christianity4,400,000 AsiaMyanmar, ThailandKayin StateKaren National Union
CambaCamba SpanishRomance languagesRoman Catholicism4,000,000South AmericaBoliviaMedia Luna, Santa Cruz Youth Union
Kabyle peopleKabyle language, Algerian ArabicBerber languagesIslam4,000,000AfricaAlgeriaKabyliaMovement for the Autonomy of Kabylie, Provisional Government of Kabylia
RohingyaRohingya languageIndo-Aryan languagesIslam3,600,000AsiaMyanmarRohang StateRohingya conflict
Rohingya genocide		The Rohingyas are not recognized as a native ethnic group by Burmese government.
AssyriansSureth, Turoyo, other Aramaic languagesSemitic languagesChristianity 3,300,000AsiaSyria, Iraq, Iran and TurkeyAssyria, Beth Nahrain Assyrian nationalism, Assyrian independence movementHistorically occupied the Assyrian empire.
BodosBodoSino-Tibetan languagesHinduism, Christianity3,250,000 AsiaIndiaAssam Bodoland movementSeek a separate state or homeland within India. Some factions demand independence
AfrikanersAfrikaansGermanic languagesChristianity 3,180,000AfricaSouth Africa and NamibiaWestern Cape,
Volkstaat		Afrikaner Nationalism, Freedom Front, Cape independence, Cape Independence PartyAfrikaners are historically an ethno-racial group. Demand autonomy or total secession from South Africa. Historically occupied the Dutch Cape colony but did expand elsewhere into the once independent Boer republics.
Naga peopleNaga languages, Konyak languages, Nagamese creoleSino-Tibetan languagesChristianity3,150,000 AsiaIndiaNagalandNaga National Council, Insurgency in Northeast IndiaSeeks greater regional autonomy or complete separatation from India.
Basque peopleBasque, French, SpanishLanguage isolateChristianity 3,000,000EuropeFrance and SpainBasque CountryBasque nationalismSee also Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain.
Iraqi Turkmen peopleTurkish language, Azerbaijani languageOghuz languagesIslam3,000,000AsiaIraqTurkmeneliIraqi Turkmen FrontNot to be confused with Syrian Turkmen of Latakia or Central Asian Turkmens of Turkmenistan who share only their ethnonym.
Welsh peopleWelsh, EnglishCeltic languagesChristianity 3,000,000EuropeUnited KingdomWalesWelsh independence, Welsh nationalism, Meibion Glyndŵr, Plaid CymruRegional autonomy in Wales. Historically occupied the independent kingdoms of Wales.
Galician peopleGalician language, SpanishRomance languagesChristianity 2,800,000EuropeSpainGaliciaGalician nationalism and Galician RegionalismSee also Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain. Historically occupied the Kingdom of Galicia.
Kachin peopleJingpo languageSino-Tibetan languagesChristianity2,750,000 AsiaMyanmar, ChinaKachin StateKachin Independence Organization
Meitei peopleMeitei languageSino-Tibetan languagesHinduism1,800,000AsiaIndiaImphal Valley, ManipurUNLF, PLA, Insurgency in Manipur, Anglo-Manipur WarHistorically occupied the Kingdom of Manipur.
Aragonese peopleAragonese language, SpanishRomance languagesChristianity 2,045,000 EuropeSpainAragonAragonese nationalismSee also Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain. Historically occupied the Kingdom of Aragon.
ChechensChechen language, RussianNortheast Caucasian languagesIslam2,000,000EuropeRussiaChechnyaChechen insurgency, Chechen Republic of IchkeriaRegional autonomy in Chechnya.
FriuliansFriulianRomance languagesCatholicism2,000,000 EuropeItalyFriuliFriuli MovementFriuli is an autonomous region of Italy, but there are also other views as to what status it should have.
Friulians are a recognised minority ethnic group in Italy.
Asturian peopleAsturian language, SpanishRomance languagesChristianity 1,000,000EuropeSpain and PortugalAsturiasAsturian nationalismSee also Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain.
MapucheMapudungunAraucanian languagesChristianity 1,755,000 South AmericaArgentina and ChileWallmapuMapuche autonomous movement
Sardinian peopleSardinian, Corso-Sardinian, Italian, Catalan, LigurianRomance languagesChristianity 1,661,521EuropeItalySardiniaSardinian nationalismNational devolution, further autonomy or total secession from Italy.
Sardinians are a recognised minority ethnic group in Italy.
Ryukyuans Ryukyuan, Japanese, Koniya Sign LanguageJaponic languages, Koniya Sign LanguageBuddhism1,600,000AsiaJapanRyukyu IslandsRyukyu independence movementHistorically occupied the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Pa-OPa-O languageSino-Tibetan languagesBuddhism1,430,000 AsiaMyanmarShan StatePa-O National Organization
Pa-O National Liberation Organization
Palaung Palaung languageAustroasiatic languagesBuddhism1,300,000 AsiaMyanmarShan StatePalaung State Liberation Front
Tuareg peopleTuareg languageBerber languagesIslam1,200,000AfricaMali and NigerAzawadNational Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, Tuareg rebellion, Northern Mali conflictNational devolution, further autonomy or total secession from Mali.
FrisiansFrisian, Stadsfries Dutch, Dutch, German, DanishGermanic LanguagesChristianity 1,125,000EuropeNetherlands, Denmark, and GermanyFrisiaFrisian National Party, Groep fan AuwerkThe creation of a new Frisian state. Historically occupied the Frisian Kingdom.
Jumma peopleLanguages of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bengali, ChittagonianSino-Tibetan languagesBuddhism, Christianity, Islam920,248AsiaBangladeshChittagong Hill TractsJumma Nationalism, Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, Shanti BahiniJumma is a term used to refer to the indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, such as the Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Rakhine, etc. These communities seek autonomy, with some even advocating for independence.
LezginsLezgianNortheast Caucasian languagesIslam800,000EuropeRussia, AzerbaijanLezgistanLezgin NationalismUnification of the Lezgin people in Azerbaijan and Dagestan.
Fur peopleFur, ArabicNilo-Saharan languagesIslam756,000 AfricaSudanDarfurWar in Darfur, SLM/AHistorically occupied the Sultanate of Darfur.
Karenni Karenni languageSino-Tibetan languagesBuddhism, Christianity755,000 AsiaMyanmarKayah StateKarenni State Interim Executive Council
Māori peopleMāori, EnglishAustronesian languagesChristianity with native750,000OceaniaNew ZealandNew ZealandMāori protest movement
LahuLahu languageSino-Tibetan languagesAnimism, Buddhism, Christianity680,000 AsiaChina, Myanmar, ThailandYunnan province
Macanese peopleMacanese Cantonese, Macanese PortugueseSino-Tibetan languagesChinese folk religion, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity 678,800AsiaChinaMacauMacau independence movementLimited autonomy in the Macau Special Administrative Region.
ChamsCham languageAustronesian languagesIslam, Hinduism, Buddhism650,000 AsiaVietnam, CambodiaSouth Central Coast, Mondulkiri provinceUnited Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races, Cham rights movementHistorically occupied the Kingdom of Champa. The Cham in Vietnam are only recognized as a minority, and not as an indigenous people by the Vietnamese government their indigeneity to the region.
KarakalpaksKarakalpak languageTurkic languagesIslam623,000 AsiaUzbekistanKarakalpakstanKarakalpak NationalismRegional autonomy in Karakalpakstan.
Ogoni peopleOgoni languageVolta–Congo languagesChristianity with native560,000 AfricaNigeriaOgonilandMovement for the Survival of the Ogoni People
Hawaiian peopleHawaiian language, Hawaiian Sign Language, EnglishAustronesian languagesChristianity with native527,000OceaniaUnited StatesHawaiiHawaiian sovereignty movementHistorically occupied the Kingdom of Hawaii.
MoraviansCzech, SlovakSlavic languagesTraditionally Roman Catholicism presently Irreligion525,000EuropeCzech Republic and SlovakiaMoraviaMoraviansHistorically occupied Great Moravia.
Crimean TatarsCrimean Tatar, Russian, UkrainianTurkic languagesIslam500,000-600000EuropeUkraineCrimeaCrimean People's Republic
Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
Tatars in Republic of Crimea
Deportation of the Crimean Tatars		Briefly managed to get independance in the 1910s as the Crimean People's Republic. After Ukrainian independence in 1991, Crimea became an autonomous republic within Ukraine, after being invaded and annexed by Russia in 2014. The Crimean Tatars began seeking autonomy.
Sahrawi peopleHassaniya Arabic, Berber languages, Modern Standard Arabic, and Spanish Semitic languagesIslam 500,000AfricaMorocco, Algeria, MauretaniaWestern SaharaWestern Sahara conflict, Polisario Front, Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicPartially controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and partially occupied by Morocco.
Corsican peopleCorsican, French, Ligurian, ItalianRomance languagesChristianity 322,120EuropeFranceCorsicaCorsica LiberaTerritorial collectivity in France.
NavajoNavajo language, Navajo Sign Language, EnglishNa-Dene languagesNavajo Traditional, Christianity 305,000 North AmericaUnited StatesNavajo NationNavajo WarsRegional autonomy on the Navajo Nation.
Bangladeshi BiharisUrdu, Bengali, Languages of BiharIndo-Aryan languagesIslam300,000AsiaBangladeshOriginally Bihar; Saidpur, Old Dhaka and Mohammadpur Thana Persecution of Biharis in BangladeshThe Urdu-speaking Biharis of Bangladesh, also known as "Stranded Pakistanis", are Muslims from Bihar who settled in what is now Bangladesh in 1947. Many of them seek recognition and autonomy.
InuitInuit languages, Danish, English, RussianEskaleut languagesChristianity with native155,792North AmericaInuit NunangatGreenlandSemi-autonomous rule in Greenland with autonomy within the Kingdom of Denmark.
ScaniansScanian dialect, Swedish, DanishGermanic languagesChristianity, Animism80,000 EuropeFinland, Norway, Russia and SwedenSapmiSámi politicsHave their own Parliaments in Norway, Sweden, and Finland but Sami groups usually seek more territorial autonomy.
Faroese peopleFaroese, DanishGermanic languagesChristianity 66,000EuropeDenmarkFaroe IslandsFaroese independence movementRegional autonomy in Faroe Islands.
SorbsSorbian language, GermanSlavic languagesChristianity 60,000–70,000 EuropeGermanyLusatiaDomowinaDivided into Upper Sorbs and Lower Sorbs.
Ladin peopleLadin languageRomance languagesChristianity 36,000 EuropeItalyLadiniaRecognised ethnic minority in Italy.