Nationalist Violence and the State: Political Authority and Contentious Repertoires in the Former USSR

Abstract

Of the reasons to study nationalism, nationalist violence undoubtedly ranks among the most salient. Few would argue that it matters little whether nationalisms manifest themselves violently or nonviolently. Understood as political activity aimed at defining authority over the physical, human, or cultural boundaries of the state, nationalism in and of itself is neither good nor evil. Rather, the forms that nationalism assumes and the ways in which it manifests itself in politics draw our approbation or censure.