Latvia - A Work in Progress? : 100 Years of State- and Nationbuilding / David J. Smith, Matthew Kott, Andreas Umland, Andrejs Plakans, Marina Germane, Deniss Hanovs, Valdis Teraudkalns, Geoffrey Swain, Irena Saleniece, Ieva Zake, Una Bergmane, Li Bennich-Björkman, Peteris Timofejevs Henriksson, Daina S. Eglitis, Alfs Vanags, Aldis Purs

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Germane, Marina, Author.

Contributor:

Smith, David J., Editor.

Kott, Matthew, Contributor.

Umland, Andreas Dr., Editor.

Plakans, Andrejs, Contributor.

Hanovs, Deniss, Contributor.

Tēraudkalns, Valdis, Contributor.

Swain, Geoff, Contributor.

Saleniece, Irēna, Contributor.

Zake, Ieva, Contributor.

Bergmane, Una, Contributor.

Bennich-Björkman, Li, Contributor.

Timofejevs Henriksson, Peteris, Contributor.

Eglitis, Daina S., Contributor.

Vanags, Alfs, Contributor.

Purs, Aldis, Contributor.

Series:

Soviet and post-Soviet politics and society.

Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society 142

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Latvia.

Nationbuilding.

History.

Local Subjects:

Latvia.

Nationbuilding.

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (335 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Hannover ibidem 2017

Summary:

A quarter century after the formation of the Popular Front and a decade since joining the EU, processes of state- and nation-building in Latvia are still on-going. Issues such as citizenship, language policy, minority rights, democratic legitimacy, economic stability, and security all remain objects of vigorous public discussion. The current situation also reflects longer-standing debates on the relationship between state, nation, and sovereignty in Latvian society and polity. By examining different aspects of these relationships, this volume aims to reveal both key turning points and continuities in Latvia's development, thereby helping to inform current debates.

“Most books devoted to the centenary of Latvian statehood, both in Latvian and in foreign language, have a celebratory tone, emphasizing positive achievements and avoiding criticism. This valuable collection of articles is an exception. It provides us with a wellbalanced, critical reflection on Latvian state- and nation-building experiences from many different angles―ranging from the competing narratives about the emergence of Latvian statehood in 1918 to social inequalities in present-day Latvia.” –ZfO - Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung / Journal of East Central European Studies, 03/2018

“LATVIA—A WORK IN PROGRESS? 100 YEARS OF STATE- AND NATION-BUILDING is a fascinating and significant book […] The Latvian case is a lesson to all transitional and multiethnic societies trying to build a strong state and a unified nation. This book is necessary reading for scholars, policymakers and postgraduate students to enhance their understanding of the complex processes associated with state- and nation-building and successful governance.” – Europe-Asia Studies, Ohannes Geukjian, issue 70/8, 2018

“[…] here we have an eclectic collection of essays, all of which are well worth reading. The volume should be a ‘must-read’ for any academic interested in the state of Latvia today.“ —Slavonic and East European Review, vol. 96, no. 3, July 2018

Contents:

State, nation, and sovereignty amidst uncertainty and change: turning points and continuities in Latvian society and polity / David J. Smith

Death and transfiguration: reflections on World War I and the birth of the Latvian state / Andrejs Plakans

Latvians as a civic nation: the interwar experiment / Marina Germane

Why remember Paul Schiemann? / David J. Smith

The return of the gods?: authoritarian culture and neo-paganism in interwar Latvia, 1934-1940 / Deniss Hanovs and Valdis Tēraudkalns

"Come on Latvians, join the party

we'll forgive you everything": ideological struggle during the national communist affair, summer 1959 / Geoffrey Swain

"At first we missed our Latvia ...": attitudes towards Latvian state during the Soviet period / Irēna Saleniece

Latvians in exile and the idea of the Latvian state / Ieva Zake

International reactions to the independence of the Baltic states: the French example, 1989-1991 / Una Bergmane

"You are not the people": revisiting citizenship and geopolitics / Li Bennich-Björkman

Post-Soviet Latvia: a consolidated democracy in the third decade of independence? / Geoffrey Pridham

The Europeanisation of Latvia's public policy: the case of foreign aid policy, 2004-2010 / Pēteris Timofejevs Henriksson

Paradoxes of power: gender, work, and family in the new Europe / Daina S. Eglitis

Reflections on the political economy of the Latvian state since 1991: the role of external goals: what to do now that externally defined goals have been realised? / Alfs Vanags

The unbearable myth of convergence: episodes in the economic development of Latvia / Aldis Purs

The roots of radicalism: persistent problems of class and ethnicity in Latvia's politics / Matthew Kott.

Notes:

Papers from a workshop held in December 2013 in Uppsala.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9783838206486

3838206487

Publisher Number:

9783838267180