Russian minority politics in post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan : the transformative power of informal networks / Michele E. Commercio.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Commercio, Michele E.

Series:

National and ethnic conflict in the 21st century.

National and ethnic conflict in the 21st century

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Russians--Latvia--Politics and government.

Russians.

Russians--Kyrgyzstan--Politics and government.

Russians--Latvia--Ethnic identity.

Russians--Kyrgyzstan--Ethnic identity.

Social networks--Latvia.

Social networks.

Social networks--Kyrgyzstan.

Nationalism--Latvia.

Nationalism.

Nationalism--Kyrgyzstan.

Latvia--Ethnic relations.

Latvia.

Kyrgyzstan--Ethnic relations.

Kyrgyzstan.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Note on Transliteration

Part I.

Chapter 1. ''What the Hell Kind of 'Non-Native' Am I?''

Chapter 2. Informal Networks, Exit, and Voice

Chapter 3. Soviet Socialist Legacies and Post-Soviet Nationalization

Chapter 4. Opportunity Structures and the Role of Informal Networks in Their Reconfiguration

Part II

Chapter 5. Native Versus Non-Native: Russian Perceptions of Post-Soviet Nationalization

Chapter 6. Russian Responses to Perceptions of Socioeconomic Prospects

Chapter 7. Ethnic Systems in Transition

Appendix. Methods

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Acknowledgments

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781283896337

1283896338

9780812204704

0812204700

OCLC:

793341717