Call for Papers for Issue 19

Keeping the language active and contemporary is a key objective for Mishar Tatars in the Baltic Sea
region. Mishars have lived for more than a century as a diaspora in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and
Saint Petersburg, Russia. Their ancestors came originally from the same region south of Nizhny
Novgorod by the Volga River.

The Mishar Tatars in these countries have managed to transmit their language over several
generations. The language is an important identity marker and serves for a multitude of cultural,
literary and religious activities.

What are the strategies for language preservation and what kind of innovative practices have been
developed for language teaching and use? How has Tatar language been documented and what is
the situation today?

The special issue of Journal of Endangered Languages (July 2021) with guest editor Dr. Sabira
Stahlberg presents fresh perspectives to language preservation, strategies and practices.