Bulletin of Electoral Statistics and Public Opinion Research Data. Patterns of Nation Building and Political Integration in a Bifurcated Postcommunist State: Ethnic Aspects of Parliamentary Elections in Latvia
Bulletin of Electoral Statistics and Public Opinion Research Data. Patterns of Nation Building and Political Integration in a Bifurcated Postcommunist State: Ethnic Aspects of Parliamentary Elections in Latvia
Author(s): Pål Kolstø, Boris TsilevichSubject(s): Political history, Government/Political systems, Politics and society, Culture and social structure , Sociology of Culture, Period(s) of Nation Building, Post-Communist Transformation, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Identity of Collectives
Published by: SAGE Publications Ltd
Keywords: Latvia; electoral statistics; public opinion; postcommunist transformation; patterns of nation-building; ethnic groups; multiethnic societies; cultural conflicts;
Summary/Abstract: With one exception, all former Soviet republics have been proclaimed "national states" or nation-states. They are not, however, homogeneous in the cultural or ethnic sense; all of them have numerous ethnic minorities. In some cases, such as in Latvia, the dominant ethnic group numbers barely half of the total population. In such a situation, any attempt at nation building based on the language, culture, and traditions of the dominant group alone will inevitably clash with the aspirations of the minority groups, the vast majority of whom want to retain their distinct identities and at the same time to possess an equal say in political and social life. [...]
Journal: East European Politics and Societies
- Issue Year: 11/1997
- Issue No: 02
- Page Range: 366-391
- Page Count: 26
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF