Kazan as a Point of Identification and Integration of Tatar Diaspora Communities
50th Annual Meeting of the PIAC, Kazan 2007
After the collapse of USSR the Tataric world has enlarged in cultural and social dimensions. The diaspora communities in the whole world are looking forward to take part on the international network of tatarian societies. A crucial point of identification and cultural exchange are the Sabantuy-hollidays and the Vahapov-Festivals — both celebrated worldwide — with the geographical central point of trans-tataric integration: Kazan.
In my presentation I will deal with the cultural network of Tatar communities around Baltic Sea (Finland, Poland, Germany and the Baltic states) and theirs connections to Kazan. From a sociological point of view I will present new developments in Tatar diasporas like for instance the Sabantuy-adaption by Crimean Tatars of Germany as well as new interactions between Polish, German and Lithuanian Tatars.