Nation-Building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: The Politics of National Identities by G. s> Smith V. Law A. Wilson , A. Bohr E. Allworth (review)

Abstract

384 SEER, 8o, 2, 2002 Kemp concludes by assessingthe impact of nationalismtoday. This is done by assessingitspotential within the apparentlyglobal economy. This is a valid exercise. However, this reviewer would have been happier had the author made more substantivecomment abouttherelationshipbetween thecommunist legacy and nationalism in the region today. These comments to one side, this book constitutes an important contribution to the field, and deserves the widestpossible audience. Department ofPolitics KARL CORDELL University ofPlymouth Smith, G.; Law, V.; Wilson, A.; Bohr,A. and Allworth,E.Nation-Building inthe Post-Soviet Borderlands. 7hePoliticsofNationalIdentities. Cambridge University Press,Cambridge, I998. Xi + 293 pp. Figures.Tables. Notes. Index. [40.00; [14.95. EVENbefore the collapse of the Soviet Union, national identities were being reformed.Since the finalmonths of I99 I, therehas been a continued struggle, albeit predominantlypeaceful, between titularand 'stranded'groups.NationBuildingin thePost-Soviet Borderlands addresses the often conflicting nature of national identities, those relatingto the state, and ethnic identities,belonging to the group. As can be seen in many places across the former Soviet Union, such as with the Russians in Estonia and Ukraine, as well as the Abkhazians in Georgia, ethnic identities often do not fit within political boundaries. The authorsbegin by creating a conceptual and theoreticalbasis for investigating the constructionof nationalidentities.In particular,they arguethatthe Soviet Union was a 'federalcolonial' system and relied on post-colonial theories to explain the structurein which groups find themselves competing. Although the firstchapter takes a theoreticalview of post-Soviet events, the remaining chapters concentrate on specific case studies within the frameworkof three distinctaspectsof nation-building. Part one examines the role of history in constructing or maintaining national identities. Chapter two examines the effect national history has on national identities in Ukraine and Belarus. In particular, it looks at the Ukrainophile and Belarusophile historiography as opposed to that of the Russians. The authors find that while in Ukraine, there is evident conflict between the titular historiographyand the Russophile schema, there is little conflict in the Belarusiannational idea as it is based on 'the recycling of old myths' (p. 46). Chapter three focuses on the rival myths of homeland and competing notions of national space in Transcaucasia. Their findings show that primordialtraitscan be applied to currentevents in a way as to facilitate ethnonationalist conflict through the belief in the reality of these traits. Similarly, chapter four examines group history and identity in Central Asia. Primarily,this chapter shows the tension between culturaland political elites in nation-building. The second part concentrates on the ethnopolitics of group identities. Chapter five is entitled 'Nation re-buildingand political discoursesof identity politics in the Baltic states'. More specifically, the authors address the REVIEWS 385 nationalizing regimes of Estonia and Latvia. They conclude that although these stateshave been relativelystablesince independence, Estoniaand Latvia have alienated their minoritiesin a way that may eventuallyundermine these regimes. Chapter six investigatesthe politics of language in Ukraine amongst the various groups. The authors attempt to answer the question of why a nationalizing regime has not arisenwithin Ukraine by arguingthat the range of identity options are wider than in many other post-Soviet states. Chapter seven looks at the Central Asian states as nationalizing regimes. Particularly, the chapter compares the nationalization processes of the states within this region. They find that although many states have adopted undifferentiated citizenry policies, there are many unwritten rules that contradict and contravene the civic principlesof the new regimes.This isprimarilya resultof Soviet policies. Partthreeexamines the relationshipbetween languageand nation-building. Chapter eight is entitled 'Language myths and the discourse of nationbuilding in Georgia' and addressesthe language of ethnopolitics. Specifically, the authorsnote thatthere aretwo often conflictingdiscourses.While the state continues to perpetuatea historyof nationalharmony,the 'language-extrinsic' myths are used to construct an exclusive rather than inclusive Georgian identity. Finally, chapter nine looks at the effects of Uzbek language policies on minority groups. While the gulf between the titular nationality and the Russians has increased, Uzbek-Tajik relations have been mostly unaffected. This chapter exemplifiesthe complicated natureof ethnic relationswithin the post-Soviet space. Overall, thisbook bringstogetherseveralimportantaspectsof nationalizing regimes, specificallythe politics of history, social boundaries, and language. Clearly, readers benefit from the authors' research areas. Not only do the chapters offer a theoretical approach to post-Soviet...