Minority Environmentalism and Eco-nationalism in the Baltics: Green Citizenship in the making?

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeKeywords: national minoritieseco-nationalismenvironmentalismGreen theoryBaltic states Notes Notes 1 In the following I will use the term minority to refer to national and ethnic minorities as well as indigenous peoples, except where specifically naming distinct groups is necessary for clearer understanding. 2 I recognize that the titular peoples of the Baltic republics were not minorities according to the Soviet constitution. I use the term here, however, since their approach to action in environmental politics was similar to that of minorities in politics in general. 3 The body of green political thought is very diverse, and it would be impossible within the scope of this essay to pay attention to all theories offered. I will therefore, with a few exceptions, refer to green political theorists with little discrimination as to which green theorists promote what theories. This unfortunate simplification is clearly only with the one purpose of making it accessible to the non-green reader. For any unwarranted mistreatment of presentations and arguments, I sincerely apologize. 4 Derek Bell argues for ‘green liberalist liberalism’ based on a compatibility of Rawls's political liberalism and environmentalism (2002). Mary Mellor similarly argues a strong case for green socialism (2006). 5 See website, http://www.lhn.dk/, accessed 28 May 2009. 6 See website, http://www.forvandle.de/. 7 Will Kymlicka (1995 Kymlicka, W. 1995. Multicultural Citizenship, Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]) presents the best overview and the best examples of this development. 8 Shari Cohen has argued that a profound ideological vacuum fueled destructive tension throughout post-communist Europe (1999). Using Slovakia as an example of this historical amnesia she argues that communist socialization prevented people from tying their private stories to a larger historical narrative. Her analysis is probably correct with regard to Slovakia, but in my mind could not be applied to post-independence Baltic states. 9 While popular sovereignty became part of liberal ideology with the French Revolution, the right of self-determination of peoples is enshrined in Article 1 of the ICCPR. 10 for a critique of Dobson's arguments see Hayward (2006 Hayward, T. 2006. Ecological Citizenship: Justice, Rights and the Virtue of Resourcefulness. Environmental Politics, 15(3): 435–446. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).