Latvian nationlism and the construction of a 'Latgalian identity'

Journal article

Since the early 1990s, when Latvia regained its independence from the Soviet Union (1991), Latvia's historical region of Latgale has become a site of unending political activism aimed at opposing Latvian nationalism. Claiming to represent Latvians of that region or Latgalians, political activists have been declaring that they are struggling against the ongoing state oppression of their distinct, regionally and historically rooted Latgalian identity and language, and have been demanding more autonomy in cultural, linguistic and economic affairs for Latgale. In this article I will attempt to reveal the wider historical, political and social contexts that are evoking, triggering and shaping Latgalian political activism. I will argue that Latgalian activism represents an attempt to invigorate an imagined Latgalian community that is separate from Latvians in order to achieve official affirmation of Latgalians as an inseparable part of the Latvian nation. I also engage in theoretical debates on different manifestations of sub-state nationalisms inside Europe by presenting this case study of a territorially based nationalist movement as being aimed not at separation, but at inclusion within a dominant nationalist imagination.

Authors: Krauze, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Anthropological Society of Oxford
• Journal: Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford Online
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 35-60
• Publication date: 2014-01-01
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-j5k67qgvd
• ISSN: 2040-1876
• Language: English
• Keywords: JASO