(Re)Construction of Collective Identities after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Case of Estonia.

Date

2007

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

Description

The paper will focus on the structures of collective identities of the Russian-speaking population of Estonia.1 Particular cultural and political orientations held by individuals and frequencies of self-categorization as Russian, ex-Soviet, citizens of Estonia, etc. have been discussed extensively.2 Much less attention has been paid to the structures of self-identification, which draw out people’s thinking patterns. The paper is based on the methodological premise that analysisand interpretation of the disposition of different types of self-categorization is worth the effort, as it helps to elucidate the general meta-structures behind people’s interpretation of different identification narratives and provides an opportunity to make prognoses about future scenarios. The first section discusses the different public identity narratives and social prerequisites for their internalization. The second and third sections provide an overview of the methodology and data of the study. The fourth section presents the main findings regarding the frequencies and structures of self-identification both today and 15 years ago.

Keywords

kollektiivne identiteet, Eesti

Citation