The diploma thesis discusses the Lusatian Sorbs, a small Slavic ethnic minority in eastern Germany. In the first part the region of Lusatia is introduced, followed by a closer discussion on the Lusatian Sorbs. A lot of attention is dedicated to the spatial distribution and demography of this minority as well as the problem of a lack of reliable data on the number of the Sorbs. Their history, culture, traditions, language and bilingualism are presented. In the last few chapters of the first part, the Sorbian institutions, legal protection of the minority, Sorbian school system and the modern Sorbian identity and self-understanding are discussed. In the second part of the thesis, the interviews with members of the Sorbian minority are summarized, where perspectives of Sorbian individuals, of whom some grew closer or further from their Sorbian identity are presented, as well as some active members of different Sorbian organisations. With their perspectives, the discussion from the first part is connected to allow better understanding of the Sorbian minority nowadays.
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