Russian minority politics in post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan [[electronic resource] ] : the transformative power of informal networks / / Michele E. Commercio

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910812314003321
• Autore: Commercio Michele E
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Philadelphia, : University of Pennsylvania Press, c2010
• ISBN: 1-283-89633-8; 0-8122-0470-0
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (257 p.)
• Collana: National and ethnic conflict in the 21st century
• Disciplina: 305.891/7104796
• Soggetti: Russians - Latvia - Politics and government; Russians - Kyrgyzstan - Politics and government; Russians - Latvia - Ethnic identity; Russians - Kyrgyzstan - Ethnic identity; Social networks - Latvia; Social networks - Kyrgyzstan; Nationalism - Latvia; Nationalism - Kyrgyzstan; Latvia Ethnic relations; Kyrgyzstan Ethnic relations
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Front matter -- Contents -- Note on Transliteration -- Part I. -- Chapter 1. ''What the Hell Kind of 'Non-Native' Am I?'' -- Chapter 2. Informal Networks, Exit, and Voice -- Chapter 3. Soviet Socialist Legacies and Post-Soviet Nationalization -- Chapter 4. Opportunity Structures and the Role of Informal Networks in Their Reconfiguration -- Part II -- Chapter 5. Native Versus Non-Native: Russian Perceptions of Post-Soviet Nationalization -- Chapter 6. Russian Responses to Perceptions of Socioeconomic Prospects -- Chapter 7. Ethnic Systems in Transition -- Appendix. Methods -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- Acknowledgments
• Sommario/riassunto: The collapse of the Soviet Union suddenly rendered ethnic Russians ; living in non-Russian successor states like Latvia and Kyrgyzstan new minorities subject to dramatic political, economic, and social upheaval. As elites in these new states implemented formal policies and condoned informal practices that privileged non-Russians, ethnic Russians had to react. In Russian Minority Politics in Post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan, Michele E. Commercio draws on extensive field research, including hundreds of personal interviews, to analyze the responses of minority Russians to such policies and practices. In particular, she focuses on the role played by formal and informal institutions in the crystallization of Russian attitudes, preferences, and behaviors in these states.Commercio asks why there is more out-migration and less political mobilization among Russians in Kyrgyzstan, a state that adopts policies that placate both Kyrgyz and Russians, and less out-migration and more political mobilization among Russians in Latvia, a state that adopts policies that favor Latvians at the expense of Russians. Challenging current thinking, she suggests that the answer to this question lies in the power of informal networks.After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Communist party, Komsomol youth organization, and KGB networks were transformed into informal networks. Russians in Kyrgyzstan were for various reasons isolated from such networks, and this isolation restricted their access to the country's private sector, making it difficult for them to create effective associations capable of representing their interests. This resulted in a high level of Russian exit and the silencing of Russian voices. In contrast, Russians in Latvia were well connected to such networks, which provided them with access to the country's private sector and facilitated the establishment of political parties and nongovernmental organizations that represented their interests. This led to a low level of Russian exit and high level of Russian voice. Commercio concludes that informal networks have a stronger influence on minority politics than formal institutions.