Language, Identity Politics and Regional Relations in the Post-Soviet Realm II

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

These two connected panels collectively examine current trends in language and identity politics among Russian-speakers living in Russia’s neighbouring states. Since the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region, Russia’s asserted role in the region and policy toward its self-designated “compatriots” has shaken regional security as well as widely accepted European norms, and has imparted significant policy relevance and interest to the study of Russian-speaking communities in the post-Soviet realm. Our two panels offer critical multidisciplinary perspectives on the often complex and nuanced identity dynamics among Russian-speakers in these states, within the context of nation-building practices in their states of residence and Russia’s asserted role as cultural homeland. We offer recent empirical research from Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Kazakhstan to support our analyses.

Sub Unit

• International Relations/Security Studies/Foreign Policy

Chair

• Teodor Lucian Moga, Alexandru Ioan Cuza U of Iasi (Romania)

Papers

• Maintaining Linguistic and Cultural Ties: Russian-speaking – Estonian Mixed Families in Contemporary Estonia - Anastassia Zabrodskaja, Tallinn U / U of Tartu (Estonia)

• Exploring the Individual Perceptions of Self and Belonging - Alina Jasina, Justus Liebig U Giessen (Germany)

• Ukrainian National Identity in Transformation: Debating Language Concern - Nadiia Bureiko, NGO "Quadrivium"/ New Europe College (Romania); Teodor Lucian Moga, Alexandru Ioan Cuza U of Iasi (Romania)

Discussant

• Volodymyr Kulyk, National Academy of Sciences (Ukraine)