Ethnic Conflict and Accommodation in Post-Communist Estonia

Abstract

This article discusses inter-ethnic relations in Estonia in historical and current perspectives. The Soviet occupation, deportations and other crimes, as well as massive immigration during the Soviet period, are seen as comprising the main reasons for inter-ethnic tensions in Estonia. Within the present conflict structure, the article focuses on the language conflict, the Left-Right conflict, the centre-periphery conflict and differing strategies for developing a market economy. To locate this conflict structure in a wider context, there is a discussion of the factors deriving from the systemic changes in which Estonia is involved on the political, economic and psychological levels. The second half of the article deals with models for accommodating the inter-ethnic conflict. Six institutional models are differentiated; then the proposals of the main actors in Estonian politics are described. On this basis the nature of the three main political discourses on the nationality issue is outlined. The conclusion is that two of them are highly reminiscent of the reasoning of the discourse of Soviet ideology. The discourse representing the strategy of the Popular Front is judged to be the best approach for handling inter-ethnic conflict in Estonia.