Making ethnicity in southern Bessarabia : tracing the histories of an ambiguous concept in a contested land / by Simon Schlegel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schlegel, Simon, author.

Series:

Eurasian Studies Library; volume14.

Eurasian Studies Library; volume14

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethnicity--Bessarabia (Moldova and Ukraine).

Ethnicity.

Moldovans--Ethnic identity.

Moldovans.

Ukrainians--Ethnic identity.

Ukrainians.

Bessarabia (Moldova and Ukraine)--History.

Bessarabia (Moldova and Ukraine).

Bessarabia (Moldova and Ukraine)--Ethnic relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (286 pages).

Place of Publication:

Leiden Boston : BRILL, 2019.

Summary:

In Making Ethnicity, Simon Schlegel offers a history of ethnicity and its political uses in southern Bessarabia, a region that has long been at the crossroads of powerful forces: in the 19th century between the Russian and Ottoman Empires, since World War I between the Soviet Union and Romania, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union between Russia and the European Union’s respective zones of influence. Drawing on biographical interviews and archival documents, Schlegel argues that ethnic categories gained relevance in the 19th century, as state bureaucrats took over local administration from the church. After mutating into a dangerous instrument of social engineering in the mid-20th century, ethnicity today remains a potent force for securing votes and allocating resources.

Contents:

Front Matter

Acknowledgements

Maps and Figures

Notes

Introduction

Administering the Periphery from Horseback

Persuasion and Paranoia—Romania’s Rule in Bessarabia 1918–44

Politically Desirable Theory and Its Way into Folk Theory

Ethnic Minorities and Soviet Newcomers

Post-Soviet Instability, Clientelism and the Persistence of Ethnic Boundaries

The Narratives and Techniques that Maintain Ethnic Boundaries

Conclusion—Delimiting Ethnic Groups as a Tool of Statecraft

References

Back Matter

Bibliography

Index of Authors

Index of Subjects and Names.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

90-04-40802-9

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004408029 DOI