Post-Soviet Studies

Russian Energy Policy in the South Caucasus

by Lilia Arakelyan

Реставрационный versus революционный империализм в путинской Росcии

by Andreas Umland

Заседание Экспертного совета Черноморской миротворческой сети «Правый радикализм на постсоветском пространстве» в помещении киевского офиса ЕАЕК (НаУКМА). 2011. 5 ноября. 13 стр. Видеозапись: http://blogs.korrespondent.net/celebrities/blog/forum2004/a56596

Sex, urban/rural and minority differences in educational attainment in Soviet and post-Soviet Tajikistan

by christopher whitsel

This paper analyses the educational attainment of Tajikistani adults born between 1947 and 1989. Adults in the oldest... more This paper analyses the educational attainment of Tajikistani adults born between 1947 and 1989. Adults in the oldest cohorts completed school during the educational expansion of the Soviet period and the youngest cohorts completed their education in the post-Soviet period, which was marked by educational contraction. To date, there is not a clear picture of attainment trends during the Soviet period that provide a perspective for judging educational attainment in the post-Soviet period. Using household survey data collected in 2007 by the World Bank, I conduct a synthetic cohort analysis to estimate the likelihood of completing basic, secondary and higher education for men and women; urban and rural residents and ethnic majority and minority citizens. Findings for particular groups are mixed, but in general the gap in educational attainment between advantaged groups and disadvantaged groups narrows during the Soviet era, but widens in the post-Soviet period.

Post-Soviet Political Transformation in Azerbaijan: Political Elite, Civil Society and the Trials of Democratization

by Uluslararası İlişkiler

Ayça Ergun, "Post-Soviet Political Transformation in Azerbaijan: Political Elite, Civil Society and the Trials of Democratization", Uluslararası İlişkiler, Cilt 7, Sayı 26 (Yaz), 2010

Bu makalenin amacı Azerbaycan’da Sovyet sonrası siyasal dönüşüm sürecini demokratikleşme, liderlerin ve siyasal... more Bu makalenin amacı Azerbaycan’da Sovyet sonrası siyasal dönüşüm sürecini demokratikleşme, liderlerin ve siyasal seçkinlerin özellikleri, seçim politikalarında başarı ve başarısızlıklar ve sivil toplum gelişimine odaklanarak incelemektir. Bağımsızlık sonrası dönemde siyasal dönüşüm sürecinin geleceği devamlılık ve değişim unsurlarının çatışan birlikteliği tarafından belirlenmektedir.

Foreign Policies of the States of the Caucasus: Evolution in the Post-Soviet Period

by Uluslararası İlişkiler

Brenda Shaffer, "Foreign Policies of the States of the Caucasus: Evolution in the Post-Soviet Period", Uluslararası İlişkiler, Cilt 7, Sayı 26 (Yaz), 2010

Bu makale Güney Kafkasya ülkelerinin-Ermenistan, Azerbaycan ve Gürcistan-Sovyet sonrası dönemde dış politikalarının... more Bu makale Güney Kafkasya ülkelerinin-Ermenistan, Azerbaycan ve Gürcistan-Sovyet sonrası dönemde dış politikalarının gelişimini ve stratejilerini incelemektedir. Makale ilk olarak her üç ülkenin ittifak kurmalarında ve dış politika yönelimlerinde ideoloji ve kimliğin çok az etkili olduğunu öne sürmektedir. İkincisi, her üç ülke Rusya’ya ilişkin olarak tamamen farklı politikalar benimsemişlerdir. Üçüncüsü, coğrafi faktör bu ülkelerin dış politika tercihlerinde önemli bir etkiye sahiptir. Dördüncüsu ayrılıkçı çatışmaların sonuçlarının düzenlenmesi dış politika çabalarının en esas amacı olmuş ve çatışmalar komşu güçler için faydalı manivelalar teşkil etmiştir. Beşincisi, üç ülkenin de dış politika yapma kabiliyeti büyük ölçüde artmıştır. Son olarak, üç ülkenin dış politika seçenekleri büyük güçlerin bölge politikaları tarafından sınırlandırılmaktadır.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree? : Kazakh-Speaking University Studetnts' Language Ideologies Concerning "Community"

by Erik Aasland

Paper presented at the UCLA Conference on Language and Identity in Central Asia, May 4, 2012.

The question for my project is: In an environment of mandatory proverb instruction for youth, what do youth express as... more The question for my project is: In an environment of mandatory proverb instruction for youth, what do youth express as significant by means of these same proverbs? I will explore how Kazakh-speaking college students use Kazakh proverbs to narrativize “community”. I will do this be evaluating their knowledge and use of Kazakh proverbs addressing such issues as nationalism/patriotism, unity, family, and ethnic identity.

Pedagogies of Space: (Re)Mapping National Territories, Borders, and Identities in Post-Soviet Textbooks

by Michael Mead

Co-authored with Dr. Iveta Silova (Associate Professor, Lehigh University) and Garine Palandjian (MA, Lehigh University)

Русский ультранационализм: актуальное состояние исследований

by Andreas Umland

Tartaria Magna. 2012. T. 1. № 1. С. 171-189.

From roses to bullets: the rise and decline of post-Soviet colour revolutions

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin

with Abel Polese (2008)

In: Backes, Uwe and Jaskulowski, Tytus and Polese, Abel, (eds.) 2008. Totalitarianism and Transformation: Central and Eastern Europe between Socialist Legacy and Democratic Transformation (Totalitarismus und Transformation Defizite der Demokratiekonsolidierung in Mittel- und Osteuropa). Schriften des Hannah-Arendt-Instituts für Totalitarismusforschung, Band 37 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, pp. 63-100.

ISBN 978-3525369111

Произойдёт ли националистическая эпидемия в путинской России? Риски и шансы недавней эскалации конфронтации про- и антидемкратических сил в Москве

by Andreas Umland

Geopolitika [Центр геополитических исследований, Вильнюс, Литва]. 2012. 3 мая.

Faking It: Neo-Soviet Electoral Politics in Central Asia

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin

Voting for Hitler and Stalin: Elections Under 20th Century Dictatorships, edited by Ralph Jessen and Hedwig Richter (Campus/Chicago University Press, 2012) pp. 204-227

This chapter focuses on the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia and, given the 20th century time frame of the... more This chapter focuses on the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia and, given the 20th century time frame of the book, analyzes primarily, but not exclusively, the practices of the 1990s. The reader is provided with a brief overview of the origins of Central Asian states before being furnished with an appreciation of how elections were conducted during the Soviet era. The ‘menu of manipulation’ at the disposal of the incumbent presidents is discussed and the obstacles facing potential opposition movements identified. Integral to the argument presented here is the assertion that Central Asian political regimes are as much neo-Soviet as post-Soviet. To illuminate this thesis, the chapter examines election campaigns in all five Central Asian states. As the manipulation generally takes place behind closed doors and potential whistle-blowers are rarely given a microphone in the national media, it is difficult to quantify. However, after almost two decades of systemic falsification, an attempt can be made to assess how electoral politics has been conducted in post-Soviet Central Asia.

The Color Revolution Virus and Authoritarian Antidotes

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin

(with Abel Polese) Demokratizatsiya; Spring2011, Vol. 19 Issue 2, pp. 111-132

This paper addresses the post-Communist color revolution phenomenon, utilizing aspects of all the major approaches... more This paper addresses the post-Communist color revolution phenomenon, utilizing aspects of all the major approaches (structure, agency, diffusion). It surveys the varying degrees of success enjoyed by color revolutionary movements and demonstrates that the color revolutions involved a learning process not only for insurgent forces but for the state that such forces aimed to dislodge. Furthermore, it illuminates the factors that facilitated opposition movements to exploit popular disenchantment, framed in the context of contentious elections, and to transform these protests into a force capable of dislodging the regime. We argue that the ability of potentially vulnerable regimes to observe and digest the reasons for initial color revolution successes assisted them in resisting the further spread of the phenomenon. Accordingly, we maintain there is a strong correlation between the attitudes of a regime-in particular its capacity to produce a backlash-and the failure of a color revolution.

Отражение социокультурной дифференциации современного общества в русской экспрессивной этнонимии рубежа XX-XXI вв. (=The Reflection of Socio-Cultural Differentiation of Modern Society in the Russian Expressive Ethnonymy of XX–XXI Centuries)

by Alexander Grishchenko

published in 'Prepodavatel' XXI Vek', Moscow, 2009, No. 2, part II, pp. 328-335

The article reviews Russian ethnic slurs (ethnophaulisms, ethnic nicknames), the activation of which at the turn of... more The article reviews Russian ethnic slurs (ethnophaulisms, ethnic nicknames), the activation of which at the turn of 20th – 21st centuries being connected with increase of the role of the ethnic issues in post-Soviet society. A range of the ethnic slurs reflects the age and gender and properly social differentiation of the society in the Russian regions (Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Yakutia, Adygea, Chuvashia) and in a number of former Soviet republics (Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Moldavia).

Rocking the vote': new forms of youth organisations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin

with Abel Polese (2010): ‘Rocking the vote’: new forms of youth organisations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Journal of Youth Studies, 13:5, pp. 615-630

This paper explores the social change and political engagement witnessed in several former socialist countries,... more This paper explores the social change and political engagement witnessed in several former socialist countries, devoting special attention to youth (or student) movements in Georgia and Ukraine. In particular, it explores the relationship between those youth movements and the so-called colour revolutions, suggesting that these revolutions boosted political opportunities for youth movements. By seizing those political opportunities, informally organised groups have been able to become formalised and more active in their respective societies. This explains
why such youth movements have sometimes been perceived as being created overnight while, this article argues, they were only hidden and ready to emerge when opportunities emerged

Roses and Tulips: Dynamics of Regime Change in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin

Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Volume 25, Issue 2-3, 2009, PP. 199-226

The regime changes in Georgia (2003) and Kyrgyzstan (2005) that resulted in the overthrow of Presidents Shevardnadze... more The regime changes in Georgia (2003) and Kyrgyzstan (2005) that resulted in the overthrow of Presidents Shevardnadze and Akaev are widely considered to be part of a common phenomenon of ‘coloured revolution’ in the post-Soviet space. A key factor was the rise of successful opposition movements that dislodged the ruling regimes.
However, in contrast with the widespread notion that opposition unity was a prerequisite for the overthrow of the presidents, opposition parties found it too difficult to coordinate their actions and their leaders could not agree how best to challenge the election results. Neither was it the case that the Rose and Tulip revolutions were orchestrated by Western agencies seeking to induce a change of government so as to further US interests
in the region. Such analyses exaggerate the influence of foreign actors in the Rose and Tulip revolutions, and over-estimate the unity of purpose among the main opposition parties.

Dynamics of Electoral Politics in Abkhazia - Donnacha O Beachain

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin

Corrected Proof. To be published in Communist and Post Communist Studies, Volume 45, Issues 1-2 (June 2012), pp. 165-174.

Presidential and parliamentary elections in Abkhazia are pluralistic and competitive. They have led to the transfer of... more Presidential and parliamentary elections in Abkhazia are pluralistic and competitive. They have led to the transfer of power from government to opposition forces. This in itself is a remarkable fact in the post-Soviet context, where the outcome of elections very often is determined in advance by the ruling elite. The article explains how and why this form of electoral democracy could occur in Abkhazia, arguably the most ethnically heterogeneous of all post-Soviet de facto states. Drawing on a wide variety of primary sources and data from within Abkhazia, particularly interviews with key players, the author describes the
remarkable willingness of the main political actors to compromise and assesses to what extent Abkhazia’s democratic credentials are sustainable

Social and political perceptions of the Borat phenomenon in Kazakhstan: evidence from a case study of university students

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin

Studies of Transition States and Societies, Volume 3, No. 3 (November 2011) pp. 51-63

This article begins by chronicling and evaluating the reaction of the government of Kazakhstan to Sacha Baron Cohen’s... more This article begins by chronicling and evaluating the reaction of the government of Kazakhstan to Sacha Baron Cohen’s film Borat—Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. It then compares and contrasts the official government reaction with the expressed attitudes of local members of Kazakhstan’s young English-speaking elites. This study is based on the results of a survey of almost five hundred young university students conducted in March 2007 at the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP), the most prestigious university in the country. The sample gives a snapshot of those most likely to have been aware of Borat – the young, internet-savvy, educated urban elite – and inter alia provides insights into how respondents in Kazakhstan thought the movie impacted their country and would influence how they were treated abroad. The survey results suggest that while responses to Borat were heterogeneous, most students accepted that the choice of Kazakhstan as a target for satire was coincidental rather than conspiratorial. Despite official efforts to ban the movie, a majority of the respondents had seen the film and believed that the ban was a mistake. Also, while recognising that Borat would raise Kazakhstan’s profile in the world, respondents doubted it would increase knowledge, and some feared a change in their treatment when travelling abroad.

From Soviet to Post-Soviet with Transformation of the Fragmented Urban Landscape: The Case of Garage Areas in Estonia

by Tauri Tuvikene

Published in 'Landscape Research' 2010

While every social formation creates its specific landscape, the landscape is never homogenous but is rather... more While every social formation creates its specific landscape, the landscape is never homogenous but is rather fragmented. In addition to the elements that have been formed under the forces of the current era, the landscape also contains elements from previous eras. Functions of some of these landscapes have changed, reflecting societal conditions as other elements may have preserved their previous function. The garage area is one of the examples of the last case as it proliferated in the former Soviet socialist system where it had an importance in dealing with the system's shortcomings. With the fall of the Soviet system, garage areas have not been demolished and are still in use. Hence, the aim of this paper is to analyze the dynamics of urban landscape by applying Widgren's 'formal procedure of reading landscapes' and its terms form, function, context and processes using garage areas in the transformation of Estonian society as a case study. The paper analyzes two aspects. First, it shows how the formation of garage areas was conditioned by the Soviet system. Second, it will discuss how the ownership system in connection with preservation of functions has been able to influence the persistence of garage areas. While being a detail that enables insight into socialist as well as Western societies, garage areas have not received attention in previous literature.

Annist, A. 2005. The worshippers of rules: Defining the right and wrong in local participatory project applications in Estonia.

by Aet Annist

Published in D. Mosse; D. Lewis (Toim.). The Aid Effect: Giving and Governing in International Development (150 - 170). London: Pluto Press
!! Not the exact replica of the published article.

Developmental cultures evolve through a complicated set of interests and agendas as well as the concerns of various... more Developmental cultures evolve through a complicated set of interests and agendas as well as the concerns of various stakeholders. The ethnographic data I collected during fieldwork in two south-east Estonian communities, and at different levels of a DFID-funded multi-agency participatory rural programme (RP) seeking to reduce poverty and social exclusion in rural communities in the Baltic states, is well suited to study this complex scene of global and local development relations.
I examine the evaluation process of project applications from rural Estonian communities at precisely the stage where the programme’s general ideology is tested and translated into practice. The chapter shows how local development agents strictly follow the requirements and regulations that organise the evaluation process in such a way as to create the impression of a trustworthy partner for foreign funders. At the same time, the process serves to conceal a frequent reliance on personal information, such as a suspicion about the motives of certain applicants, when rejecting projects.
The ethnographic cases provided illustrate both the process of translation in development industry as well as of the sensitivities in relation to the developmental status of post-Soviet societies.

Annist, A. 2009. Outsourcing Culture: Establishing Heritage Hegemony by Funding Cultural Life in South Eastern Estonia

by Aet Annist

Published in Lietuvos etnologija: socialinės antropologijos ir etnologijos studijos. 2009, 9(18), 117–138.

The following article compares the Soviet and post-Soviet processes of hegemony creation. Based on long-term... more The following article compares the Soviet and post-Soviet processes of hegemony creation. Based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, I describe how in Estonia, where highly formalised cultural sphere was a norm already in the 19th century, Soviet cultural hegemony was never properly established. The Soviet system of blanket-funding unintentionally enabled the perseverance of nationalist cultural counter-hegemony. In contrast, the current system of project based funding is more effective in creating cultural hegemony. I provide ethnographic examples of how such new practices of governmentality are outsourcing the establishment of emblematic
hegemony of a small cultural group, Setos.