Defining Latvia: Recent Explorations in History, Culture, and Politics

In just over a century, Latvia has transitioned from imperial periphery to nation-state, then Soviet republic, and finally following the collapse of the Soviet Union to an independent republic. Defining Latvia brings together the latest research on the multiple social, political, and cultural contexts of Latvia throughout this turbulent period. Its ten chapters are written by leading political scientists, historians, and area studies specialists from across Europe and North America. The volume moves beyond an exclusively political context to incorporate a variety of social and cultural perspectives, ranging from the experiences of Latvian mapmakers in the Russian Empire, to the participation of Latvians in the Wehrmacht and Red Army during World War II, Latvian national communism, and the development of extremist politics following Latvia’s accession to the European Union. Other chapters address developing trends in the fields of history and political science, including the history of antisemitism, memory, language politics, photography, and political extremism. Based on the book’s temporal span from the nineteenth century to the present, the authors and editors of Defining Latvia understand the construction of Latvian identity as a continuous and interconnected process across significant political and ideological ruptures.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures, Acknowledgements, Foreword, Introduction, Latvia and Latvian Identity in Historical Perspective, 1 Mapping Latwija, Mat?ss Sili?š and Latvian Cartographic Publishing in the 1890s, 2 The Sokolowski Affair, 3 More than a Means to an End, 4 “My Home and My Family Are Now Our Regiment”, 5 The Economic Program of the Latvian National Communists – Myth or Reality?, 6 Latvia Goes Rogue, 7 Latvian Photography of the 1960s between Art and Censorship, 8 Onwards and Upwards!, 9 Gaming the System, Glossary of Archives, About the Contributors, Index

About the Author :
Matthew Kott is a historian of twentieth century Latvia, with a focus on political ideologies and their consequences. He is a researcher at Uppsala University and is currently editor-in-chief of the Journal of Baltic Studies. Ivars Ijabs is a Latvian political scientist and politician. He is a lecturer and professor at the University of Latvia and holds a PhD in political science. In May 2019, representing political alliance Development/For!, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament. Michael Loader is a political historian of the Soviet Communist Party, nationality politics, and Soviet Latvia. He is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Glasgow and Assistant Editor of the Journal of Baltic Studies. Siobhán Hearne is a historian of gender and sexuality in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. She is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Durham University in the UK.

Review :
"A focus of this collected volume was motivated by the centennial of Latvia’s independence in 2018, but surely has not lost relevance afterward. The contributions to the book can be connected to three thematic fields: nation- building before 1940, national identity under the adverse conditions of the Nazi and the Soviet rules, and the right-wing nationalism." https://doi.org/10.1080/01629778.2023.2230700 "The strength of the book is the spotlight it places on the overlooked or underappreciated episodes in the modern era of Latvian history. Indeed, the collection is full of fresh insights and interpretations regarding the development of Latvian identity and statehood." https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/slavic-review/article/abs/defining-latvia-recent-explorations-in-history-culture-and-politics-ed-michael-loader-siobhan-hearne-and-mathew-kott-budapest-central-european-university-press-2022-269-pp-notes-glossary-index-8500-hard-bound/056E8185141F4BCF93544EA6ECAF20F4