Russian Speakers In Postsoviet Latvia Discursive Identity Strategies Ammon Cheskin by Ammon Cheskin 9780748697441, 0748697446 instant download after payment.

The political shocks of the 2014 Ukrainian crisis have been felt in many former Soviet countries, not least Latvia, where over 35% of the population are native Russian speakers. At a time when analysts and commentators are unsure about Russia’s future plans to intervene on behalf of their ‘compatriots’, this study provides a detailed political and cultural analysis of Russian-speaking identity in Latvia.

By using Russian-speakers in Latvia as a specific case study, this volume also offers a fresh methodological approach to the study of discourses and discursive strategies. It outlines a coherent methodology to study the evolution of discourses over time, rather than a single de-contextualized and static time period.

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. It also offers a methodological framework that allows for the mapping of trends in discursive strategies, exploring how they evolve through time.

Key Features
• Uses focus-group interviews, elite interviews, survey data and critical discourse analysis to focus study discourses
• Features a case study of Russian speakers in Latvia to add to the debate surrounding the status of Russian speakers outside Russia
• Focuses on the temporally contingent nature of discourse – discussing discursive change and the possibility that a discourse can exist