Border Conditions: Russian-Speaking Latvians between World Orders

Border Conditions explores the lives of Russian speakers in Latvia, navigating between Russia, Europe, and a socialist past. It examines how they have defined themselves through art, literature, cultural institutions, film, and music, and how others have sought to define them. The book highlights the contradictions between Russian and Western worldviews that contribute to military confrontation, refocusing the examination of state socialism's aftermath around questions of empire and postcolonialism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 342 pages
Publication date: 22 January 2024
Publisher: Cornell University Press

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Latvia's Russian-speaking population has navigated a complex terrain, balancing between Russia and Europe, as well as a socialist past, a capitalist and liberal present, and an illiberal regime emerging in the Russian Federation. Kevin M. F. Platt delves into how this community has defined itself through various art forms, literature, cultural institutions, film, and music, while others have sought to impose their definitions upon them.

At the end of the Cold War, there was a sense of optimism that societies worldwide could come to a consensus on the interpretation of past history and the establishment of just politics in the present. However, the perspective from the borders of Europe reveals the complexities surrounding terms such as empire, state socialism, liberalism, and nation that have hindered the achievement of such consensus. By refocusing the examination of the aftermath of state socialism on questions of empire and postcolonialism, Border Conditions provides valuable insights into the distinctions between Russian and Western worldviews that continue to drive military confrontations to this day.

Weight: 907g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501773709