Objective
The emergence of nationalism as a principal force in the politics of new states of the NIS is a matter of urgent practical and academic significance. With independence these countries are faced with defining criteria for citizenship and this issue raises vexed questions about the relevance of ethnicity and nationality. Moreover, the legacy of Soviet power, with its distinctive migration patterns and border settlements, poses the problem of defining citizenship in a particularly acute way. The successful integration of minorities and, especially, the Russian diaspora is likely to be vital to the maintenance of security in the region.
Theories of ethnic and national identification in post-communist systems, however, provide contradictory predictions regarding the likely character of nationalist conflict that may be appearing in the NIS. While many commentators argue that nationalism is likely to be pre-modern and virulent, here it is that ethnicity and nationality are likely to be highly variegated identities, differing between individuals in any given country and having differing forms across the countries of the region. An investigation of the peculiarities of ethnic and national identification is therefore at the heart of the study. Primary data at this stage of the study will be obtained through national representative samples of the population in each country.
The research team from both east and west is well-established and is committed to the highest standards of methodological rigour. This concern is particularly important in survey-based research; even more so in the NIS where ensuring proper sampling, coding and analysis is often exceptional.
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
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OX1 1DW Oxford
United Kingdom