Cross-Regional Ethnopolitics in Central and Eastern Europe: Lessons from the Western Balkans and the Baltic States (Central and Eastern European Perspectives on International Relations)

✍ Scribed by Vassilis Petsinis

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2022
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 248
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book bridges the gap between academic researchers and policymaking experts working on the Western Balkans and those dealing with the Baltic States. Within the frame of a comparative and cross-regional approach, Vassilis Petsinis generates new insights in subjects as diverse as: how geopolitics shape the management of ethnic relations; the variants of Euroscepticism; opposition to immigration and LGBTQI rights; the patterns of multi-ethnic cohabitation; as well as the endeavour by parties of the populist and radical right to embed their platforms into the longer trajectories of ethno-nationalism in the countries and societies studied (Estonia and Latvia from the Baltic States; Croatia and Serbia from the Western Balkans). This work also assesses the extent to which the centrality of ethnic cleavages can be contested, temporarily effaced, or ultimately transformed by the increasing significance of the economy (social welfare and transparency) in multi-ethnic societies. The book adds a sound contribution towards updating and upgrading the study of ethnopolitics not solely across Central and Eastern Europe, but as a whole.

✦ Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Praise for Cross-Regional Ethnopolitics in Central and Eastern Europe
Contents
About the Author
Acronyms
List of Tables
1 Introduction
Navigating Through Crises: A Cross-Regional Focus and Main Objectives of This Book
Outline and Content of Chapters
Literary Overview: Setting the Conceptual and Analytical Frames
Euroscepticism, Minority Rights, and Identity Politics: The Cases of Croatia and Serbia
Institutional Politics, Party Politics, and Ethnopolitics: The Cases of Estonia and Latvia
Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Latvia and Serbia
Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Estonia and Croatia
Bibliography and Other Sources
2 Literary Overview: Setting the Conceptual and Analytical Frames
Introduction
Transitional Processes and Their Legacies in the Former Yugoslavia and the Baltic States: Why Ethnopolitics Matter
Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Ethnopolitics: Then and Now
The Ethno-Symbolic Approach: The Nation as a Socio-Psychological Phenomenon
Between Triadic and Quadratic Configurations of Ethnopolitics
From the Theory to Practice in Central and Eastern Europe: The 1990s
From the Theory to Practice in Central and Eastern Europe: Contemporary Cases
Nativism, Euroscepticism, and Populism: Conceptual Definitions
Nativism
Euroscepticism
Populism
Radical Versus Extremist Right-Wing Parties
New Actors Enter the Scene: The Necessity to Update and Upgrade
Bibliography and Other Sources
3 Euroscepticism, Minority Rights, and Identity Politics: The Cases of Croatia and Serbia
Introduction
Euroscepticism in Central and Eastern Europe: A Retrospective and Contextual Overview
Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia: Main Actors and Primary Areas of Concern
Minority Rights in Croatia and Serbia: Between European Persuasion and Domestic Practice
Croatia
Serbia
Euroscepticism and the Management of Ethnic Relations in Croatia and Serbia
Croatia
Serbia
Geopolitical Concerns and Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia
Croatia
Serbia
Gender-related Issues and Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia
Croatia
Serbia
The Migration Crisis and Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia
Croatia
Serbia
In Lieu of a Conclusion
Bibliography and Other Sources
4 Institutional Politics, Party Politics, and Ethnopolitics: The Cases of Estonia and Latvia
Introduction
Narratives of ‘Alien Rule’, ‘Colonisation’, and ‘Decolonisation’ in Estonia and Latvia: A Conceptual and Contextual Overview
EKRE and NA: Ideological Foundations, Trajectories of Evolution, and Primary Areas of Concern
The Bauska Declaration (2013): Establishing Ideological Pillars
EKRE: Formation and Early Stages
EKRE’s Core Principles: A Populist and Radical Right-Wing Party That Operates in Estonia
NA: Formation Process and Early Stages
The NA’s Core Principles: A National Conservative Party That Operates in Latvia
The Latvian and Estonian Party-Systems: Continuity Versus ‘Situational Adaptability’
A State of Continuity in Latvia
A State of ‘Situational Adaptability’ in Estonia
Oscillating Between the Present and the Past: EKRE and the NA on Nativism and Anti-Immigration
EKRE and the Migration Crisis (2015–2016): Grass-Roots Mobilisation, Anti-Establishment Rhetoric, and Euroscepticism
The Nativism of EKRE: Framing the Present Inside the Context of the Past
The NA and the Migration Crisis (2015–2016): Navigating the Halls of Power
The Nativism of the NA: Framing the Present Inside the Context of the Past
In Lieu of a Conclusion
Bibliography and Other Sources
5 Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Latvia and Serbia
Introduction
The Management of Ethnic Relations in Latvia and Serbia: Constitutional and Legal Arrangements
Contrasting Legacies from the Communist Era
Serbia: A Multilevel Infrastructure
Latvia: A Centralised Legal Framework
The Management of Ethnic Relations in Serbia and Latvia: Between Domestic Ethnopolitics and Regional Geopolitics
Systemic Transformation Versus a Pattern of Continuity
Geopolitics and Ethnopolitics: Readjustment Versus Maintenance
The Engagement of the EU as an External Actor: Enabling Versus Disabling Circumstances
The Management of Ethnic Relations in Latvia and Serbia: The Dimension of Party Politics
Contesting the EU and Minority Rights: A Retrospective Overview
Party Politics, European Politics, and Ethnopolitics: The View from Within the Halls of Power
The Management of Ethnic Relations in Latvia and Serbia: Realities ‘on the Ground’
Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: What the People Think
Ethnopolitics on the Grass-Roots Level: Regional and Sociocultural Dimensions
In Lieu of a Conclusion
Bibliography and Other Sources
6 Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Estonia and Croatia
Introduction
The Sphere of Domestic Politics: Ethnos Versus Demos in Estonia and Croatia (1990s)
Croatia and Estonia as Independent States: Constitutional and Legal Realities
National Survival, Narratives of ‘Self Versus Other’, and Their Political Repercussions
The Interaction Between Domestic and External Actors in the 1990s
States, Ethnic Minorities, External Homelands, and the EU in Estonia and Croatia
Estonia: A More Pragmatic Stance
Systemic Transformation Versus the Persistence of National Survival: The Cases of Croatia and Estonia in the 2000s
Croatia’s Change of Course and Its Significance
Recycling Institutional Legacies from the Yugoslav Era and Cooperating with the EU
Estonia: A Few Steps Forward
Contemporary Estonian Nationalism: The Functions of Restoration and Decolonisation
The Emphasis on National Survival Halts More Substantial Developments in Estonia
Between Breakthroughs and Backslidings (the 2010s)
Estonia: Towards a More Inclusive Version of the Ethnic Democracy Model
The ‘EKRE Phenomenon’ and Its Repercussions on the Management of Ethnic Relations in Estonia
Contesting the State Legislation on Minority Rights in Croatia: Emergence of a Multilevel Nexus
Assessing the Risks: Placing Estonia and Croatia into a Comparative Context
Patterns of Ethnic Relations in Estonia and Croatia: The Sociocultural Dimension
Intercultural Realities and Regional Politics in Croatia: The Case of Istria
Estonia: Soviet Legacies and the Shift Towards Integration
In Lieu of a Conclusion
Bibliography and Other Sources
7 Final Remarks, Conclusions, and Trajectories for Further Research
Intersections Between Regional Geopolitics and Domestic Ethnopolitics
Intersections Among Ethno-Nationalism, Nativism, and (Right-Wing) Populism
Intersections Between Ethno-Nationalism and Euroscepticism
Ethnopolitics ‘On the Ground’: The Sociocultural Dimension
Trajectories for Further Research
Bibliography
Index