"Non-Western Minorities in The Netherlands
by Abdi Noyan Özkaya
Nermin Aydemir is the Netherlands representative of the ISRO. She is currently making a research on the Turkish minority in the Netherlands.
ISRO: The Netherlands is known with its multicultural nature. Would you please tell us about the demographical structure of this country and the roots of this multicultural tradition?
Aydemir: When talking about multiculturalism in the Netherlands, the history of this country should be taken into consideration. The existence of irrigation canals spreading around the vast lands made it difficult to form a central rule and the existence of a unified nation. Instead, effective governance was possible in small provinces. All these regions had different languages or dialects. These provinces had to unite when Spanish troops invaded the country in the sixteenth century. After regaining their independence, separate Dutch provinces came together and established a unified country. Elites of these different communities cooperated successfully to forge a unity and managed to found a nation in time. "
More:JTW Interview - Non-Western Minorities in The Netherlands
