Can postcolonial theory help explain Latvian politics of integration? Reflections on contemporary Latvia as a postcolonial society

ABSTRACT

Democracy and civic society in Latvia are strongly affected by a multifaceted gap between the ethnic majority and minorities within contemporary Latvian society. The political elite are crucial actors in the politics of integration in Latvia. Postcolonial theories can help evaluate and explain the insufficiency of current integration policies in Latvia in respect to the participation of ethnic minorities in Latvia. Current integration challenges will be examined here based on two related issues of Latvian integration policies: (1) the process of naturalization and (2) the conflicting concepts of the twentieth-century Latvian history, especially the occupation in 1940. Both issues should be “revisited” using postcolonial explanatory potential in order to identify the causes of the long-lasting failure of integration policies in Latvia.

KEYWORDS:

• Postcolonialism
• post-Soviet
• empire
• minorities
• participation
• translation
• occupation

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Notes on contributors

Deniss Hanovs

Dr. Deniss Hanovs, born in Riga (1977), is professor for communication studies at the Riga Stradiņš University in the Department for Communication. His dissertation focused on the development of the media in the Latvian national discourse in the nineteenth century. Among his recent publications is a study on the Latvian authoritarian regime between 1934 and 1940: Ultimate Freedom. No Choice (Brill, 2013). Deniss Hanovs is also a senior researcher in the Institute for Regional Studies at the Rezekne College, Rezekne