Identity in formation

The Russian-speaking populations in the near abroad

Bibliographic Data

ID6567969
AuthorsDavid D Laitin (0000-0002-7911-7089)
Year1998
Pages417
Publication date1998-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
Reviewed byIdentity in Formation: The Russian-Speaking Populations in the Near Abroad, Robert Legvold, 1998
VenueIdentity in formation (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCornell University Press (PUBLISHER)
Open LibraryOL700397M
ISBN9780801434952
GOOGLE_BOOK_IDS1NVYdVFQWIC
LanguageEN
Citations received480

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, nationality groups have claimed sovereignty in the new republics bearing their names. With the ascendance of these titular nationality groups, Russian-speakers living in the post-Soviet republics face a radical crisis of identity. That crisis is at the heart of David D. Laitin's book. Laitin portrays these Russian-speakers as a "beached diaspora" since the populations did not cross international borders; the borders themselves receded. He asks what will become of these populations. Will they learn the languages of the republics in which they live and prepare their children for assimilation? Will they return to a homeland many have never seen? Or will they become loyal citizens of the new republics while maintaining a Russian identity? On the basis of ethnographic field research, discourse analysis, and mass surveys, Laitin analyzes trends in Estonia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine

Ethnic relations · Former Soviet republics · Nationalism · Political aspects · Political aspects of Russian language · Republics · Russian language · Russians

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