Gerenisation

Gerenisation (Gerenian: Lemghereniția) is a social and cultural process which aims for the elimination of any foreign sign or influence in the society and the culture of Gerenia. Gerenisation can be considered a type of cultural assimilation.

History

The introduction of foreign languages (most notably English and Spanish) in the tribes of planet Meeredres had as effect the adoption by many people of foreign names. When the Meeredrian peoples migrated to Micras, creating Gerenia in 2012, they carried their culture influenced by foreign elements with them.

Soon the new nation began building a culture of its own, with unique features. However, foreign influence (calendar, language, names of people and institutions) had remained. As the government encouraged and promoted Gerenian cultural expressions, the elimination of non-Gerenian aspects of them began being considered necessary.

The first step taken to "purify" the Gerenian culture took place between April and September 2014, with the change of name of Clementsgrad, firstly to Clementsskad, and later to current name Klämen.

Since April 2014, a number of similar changes have been proposed in the Parliament. Most of the bills were written by members of the ruling Independent Party, who had taken as mission the purification of national culture. The media coined the term "Gerenisation" during those days. The Gerenisation was carried out not only at a institutional level, but also at a personal level. Due to this, the bills generally found resistence in the Parliament (only the Reformist Party supported the Independent Party) as well as in the people in general.

Among the most relevant pieces of legislation, it can be mentioned the following:

• Establishment of Gerenian Names for Settlements Act (passed July 2014): according to this law, the names of cities, towns, and other settlements in Gerenia must be in Gerenian language.
• Abolition of Spanish as an official language (passed July 2014): Spanish language is spoken as mother tongue mainly in Erstveda and Ramez provinces, and had the status of official language since July 2012, when the Republic was founded. Two years later, this status was revoked.
• Renaming of Public Institutions Act (passed August 2014): any public institution set in Gerenia since the passing of the Act must have a Gerenian name, and those already established in the country had to change their names. This measure turned out to be very impopular; in consequence, the government allowed several sports clubs, companies, and culture associations to keep foreign words in their names.
• Adoption of Gerenian Names Act (passed October 2014): all citizens bearing foreign names were required to change them for Gerenian one (either a Gerenian version of the name, or choose a new name). In addition, any child born since the passing of the Act whose parents are Gerenian citizens must have a Gerenian name. The initial deadline for making the changes was 31 December 2014, however, due to many people resisting the measure, it was extended to 30 June 2015. Failure to obey the law may result in forfeit of citizenship or imprisonment. This Act was the most controversial of all, and was rejected by a number of citizens as well as members of the very Independent Party. The proposal was voted in Parliament seven times between May and October 2014 before being approved.

There are also many acts and decrees approved for particular cases, for example: the renaming of Port Isherwood to Port Elerat, or Isherwood province to Erstveda province.

See also

• Culture of Gerenia
• Gerenian nationalism