Silencing and Amplifying Ethnicity in Estonia an Ethnographic Account From Tallinn

Bibliographic Data

ID3061361
AuthorsElo-Hanna Seljamaa (0000-0003-3550-4877, University of Tartu, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume46
Issue2
Publication date2016-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnologia Europaea (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0425-4597 • E-ISSN: 1604-3030
PublisherBerghahn Books (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.16995/ee.1186
OpenAlexW2980301893
LanguageEN
Citations received7

Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in the ethnically divided capital of Estonia, this article 1 suggests that the tacit norm of reciprocity and neighbourliness in Tallinn is to silence rather than amplify ethnicity. Silencing ethnicity is a continuous, context-dependent interactional process that includes linguistic strategies, as well as spatial orderings. The article discusses how residents of Tallinn negotiate and sustain distinctions between “Estonian” and “Russian” spheres by replicating particular trajectories and ways of doing things on a day-to-day basis. The ensuing separateness of Estonians and Russian-speakers is part of the local culture more than an expression of antagonism, though the two are not mutually exclusive. The article also reflects on the (im)possibilities of studying ethnic interactions at home

Aesthetics · Ethnic group · Ethnography · Negotiation · Silence · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration · Gender Studies · History · Multilingual Education and Policy · Urbanization and City Planning

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