Ethnicity and Nationalism in Russia, the CIS and the Baltic States
Ethnicity and Nationalism in Russia, the CIS and the Baltic States

Author: Christopher Williams

Publisher: Dartmouth Publishing Company

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13:

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Explores the nature of the national question in Russia, the reasons behind the resurgence of ethnicity and nationalism and its consequences and effects on the process of building nation states and the creation of national consciousness, and the likely impact that ethnic conflict might have on the prospects of a successful transition from state capitalism to capitalist states in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Baltic countries. The 14 essays are from an international conference in Preston, England, September 1995. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Baltic States
The Baltic States

Author: Thomas Lane

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 705

ISBN-13: 1136483047

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Since the end of the Cold War there has been an increased interest in the Baltics. The Baltic States brings together three titles, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to provide a comprehensive and analytical guide integrating history, political science, economic development and contemporary events into one account. Since gaining their independence, each country has developed at its own pace with its own agenda and facing its own obstacles. The authors examine the tensions accompanying a post-communist return to Europe after the long years of separation and how each country has responded to the demands of becoming a modern European state. Estonia was the first of the former Soviet republics to enter membership negotiations with the European Union in 1988 and is a potential candidate for the next round of EU expansion in 2004. Lithuania and Latvia have also expressed their desire for future membership of NATO and the EU.

Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict
Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict

Author: Berch Berberoglu

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2005-12-13

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 9780742535442

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This book examines the origins and development of nationalism and national movements in the twentieth century and provides an analysis of the nature and dynamics of nationalism and ethnic conflict in a variety of national settings. Examining the intricate relationship between class, state, and nation, the book attempts to develop a critical approach to the study of nationalism and ethnonational conflict within the broader context of class relations and class struggles in the age of globalization. The book consists of three parts, made up of seven chapters. Part I examines classical and contemporary conventional and Marxist theories of nationalism. Part II provides a series of empirical comparisons of nationalism and ethnic conflict on a world scale, focusing on the Third World, the advanced capitalist countries, and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. A highlight of this section of the book is a detailed comparative case study of the Palestinian and Kurdish nationalism and national movements. Part III provides a political analysis of the relationship between class, state, and nation, and lays out the class nature of nationalism and the role of the state in ethnonational conflicts that are the political manifestations of deeper class struggles that have been the driving force of nationalism and ethnic conflict in the era of globalization. Berberoglu contends that future studies of nationalism and ethnonational conflict must pay closer attention to the dynamics of class forces that are behind the ideology of nationalism by examining national movements in class terms. For only through a careful class analysis of these forces and their ideological edicts will we be able to clearly understand the nature of nationalism and ethnonational conflicts around the world.

After Communism
After Communism

Author: Carol Harrington

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 9783039101412

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Freed from direct political constraints, many sociologists from former Communist countries have sought to maintain a clear distinction between research and politics through an attachment to objectivity, conceptual clarity and methodological rigour. Yet they have often sidestepped the critique of epistemological certainties which has become orthodoxy in much 'Western' thinking, and which has implicated sociology in the very structures of power it describes. This collection of writings, based on the 2002 Critical Sociology Conference held at Tbilisi State University in Georgia, was produced by sociologists working as members of or visitors to post-Communist states. As such, it reflects the tension between the desire for scholarly distance and an acknowledgement that the construction of knowledge is always a political act and a product of hierarchical social relations. Whether considering the issue of political legitimacy in Kyrgyzstan, the political nature of discourse about Eastern Europe, or problems of institutionalisation in Georgia, the authors all seek to avoid the scepticism about the effects and ethics of sociology common in much Western social theory without falling back upon the positivist approaches apparent in much of the former Communist bloc and in important pockets of Western academia.

Estonia
Estonia

Author: David Smith

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1136452206

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In 1998, Estonia became the first of the former Soviet republics to enter membership negotiations with the European Union. Since then it has been hailed as 'the model pupil' amongst the current applicants. This study traces the remarkable reforms that have propelled Estonia from the USSR to the threshold of the EU in less than a decade. The work also explores the tensions inherent in the concept of a postcommunist 'return to Europe'. Since 1991, membership of western transnational organizations has been consistently portrayed as the best guarantee of Estonia's independence. Yet the membership criteria imposed by these organizations have frequently confllicted with the nationalist priority of restoring a sovereign Estonian nation-state. At the same time, Estonia's geopolitically-sensitive location poses a dilemma for the West, thereby ensuring that the country will remain the 'litmus test' - not just of Russia's intentions towards Europe, but of the 'New Europe' as a whole.

Language, Ethnic Identity and the State
Language, Ethnic Identity and the State

Author: William Safran

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-02-04

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 131798384X

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This new study powerfully asserts the pivotal importance of the interplay between language and ethnicity, which is often underestimated as a component for political stability. These leading scholars present five key case studies of South Africa, Algeria, Canada, Latvia and Senegal. All five countries are multilingual nations where language has been a central political issue that has challenged their unity and stability. These studies are underpinned by two general, comparative and theoretical discussions, which analyse how scholars consider social class and economic factors to be the primary sources for political cohesion or of malcontent with the system and the new avenues opened by a focus on issues of langauge. This book will be of great interest to all students and scholars of linguistics, language, politics and sociology. This is a special issue of the leading journal Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.

Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Identity
Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Identity

Author: Russell F. Farnen

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 469

ISBN-13: 1351503618

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Nationalism, national identity, and ethnicity are cultural issues in contemporary Western societies. Problems in the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Poland, Croatia, Ukraine, Hungary, and Bulgaria illustrate both large-scale internal variations in these phenomena and their cross-national relevance for teaching, research, and educational development on such subjects as multiculturalism, ethnic diversity, and socialization.Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Identity, now in paperback, reflects the consequences of rapid change as well as the impact of longstanding social values. Contributors from a number of different countries use a variety of methodological approaches (empirical, quantitative, qualitative, historical, and case study, among others) to analyze important issues. These include anti-Semitism, stereotyping, militarism, authoritarianism, postmodernism, moral development, gender, patriarchy, theory of the state, critical educational theory, Europeanization, and democratic public policy options as related to competing choices among monocultural and multicultural policy options.In addition, contributors examine the situation of minorities in their respective national settings. Chapters cover the impact of mass media, culture, patriotism, and other universal values. This cross-national study is a unique addition to the literature on multiculturalism.

Russian Minority Politics in Post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan
Russian Minority Politics in Post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan

Author: Michele E. Commercio

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2011-06-06

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0812204700

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The collapse of the Soviet Union suddenly rendered ethnic Russians living in non-Russian successor states like Latvia and Kyrgyzstan new minorities subject to dramatic political, economic, and social upheaval. As elites in these new states implemented formal policies and condoned informal practices that privileged non-Russians, ethnic Russians had to react. In Russian Minority Politics in Post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan, Michele E. Commercio draws on extensive field research, including hundreds of personal interviews, to analyze the responses of minority Russians to such policies and practices. In particular, she focuses on the role played by formal and informal institutions in the crystallization of Russian attitudes, preferences, and behaviors in these states. Commercio asks why there is more out-migration and less political mobilization among Russians in Kyrgyzstan, a state that adopts policies that placate both Kyrgyz and Russians, and less out-migration and more political mobilization among Russians in Latvia, a state that adopts policies that favor Latvians at the expense of Russians. Challenging current thinking, she suggests that the answer to this question lies in the power of informal networks. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Communist party, Komsomol youth organization, and KGB networks were transformed into informal networks. Russians in Kyrgyzstan were for various reasons isolated from such networks, and this isolation restricted their access to the country's private sector, making it difficult for them to create effective associations capable of representing their interests. This resulted in a high level of Russian exit and the silencing of Russian voices. In contrast, Russians in Latvia were well connected to such networks, which provided them with access to the country's private sector and facilitated the establishment of political parties and nongovernmental organizations that represented their interests. This led to a low level of Russian exit and high level of Russian voice. Commercio concludes that informal networks have a stronger influence on minority politics than formal institutions.

Youth, Risk and Russian Modernity
Youth, Risk and Russian Modernity

Author: Christopher Williams

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-05-08

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1351773348

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Title first published in 2003. This timely and original book is the most comprehensive and authoritative analysis of Russia's risk society to date. Referring to the works of Douglas, Beck and Giddens, it considers a variety of theories of risk and applies them to young people in different risk societies, showing how these youngsters have adapted to cope with risk.

Where Nation-States Come From
Where Nation-States Come From

Author: Philip G. Roeder

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2012-01-09

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13: 1400842964

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To date, the world can lay claim to little more than 190 sovereign independent entities recognized as nation-states, while by some estimates there may be up to eight hundred more nation-state projects underway and seven to eight thousand potential projects. Why do a few such endeavors come to fruition while most fail? Standard explanations have pointed to national awakenings, nationalist mobilizations, economic efficiency, military prowess, or intervention by the great powers. Where Nation-States Come From provides a compelling alternative account, one that incorporates an in-depth examination of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and their successor states. Philip Roeder argues that almost all successful nation-state projects have been associated with a particular political institution prior to independence: the segment-state, a jurisdiction defined by both human and territorial boundaries. Independence represents an administrative upgrade of a segment-state. Before independence, segmental institutions shape politics on the periphery of an existing sovereign state. Leaders of segment-states are thus better positioned than other proponents of nation-state endeavors to forge locally hegemonic national identities. Before independence, segmental institutions also shape the politics between the periphery and center of existing states. Leaders of segment-states are hence also more able to challenge the status quo and to induce the leaders of the existing state to concede independence. Roeder clarifies the mechanisms that link such institutions to outcomes, and demonstrates that these relationships have prevailed around the world through most of the age of nationalism.