Russian Speakers in Post-Soviet Latvia

This project is the culmination of 7 years of intensive research into Russian-speaking identities in Latvia. Covering a period up to and including the Ukrainian crises of 2014, the research examines the complex relationships between diverse groups of Russian speakers, the Latvian state, the Russian Federation, and Latvia's (often competing) transnational political and cultural spaces. The empirical analysis is grounded on a theoretical model of discourse analysis that is specifically designed to account for temporal change. Utilising this framework, the study traces how Russian-speaking identity positions have been evolving in Latvia since the late Soviet period. By mapping adjustments in how the Latvian and Russian states relate to an imagined community of Russian-speakers, the analysis points to the emergence of distinct identity strategies that simultaneously create, reinvent, and rupture discursive ties with Latvia, Russia, and Europe. In a time when many will question the loyalty of Russian speakers to their various 'host states' this book provides a timely, scholarly account of ethnic politics in Latvia.