The Politics of Memory: Remembering the Baltic Way 20 Years after 1989

Russians in post-Soviet Central Asia: more ‘cold’ than the others? Exploring (ethnic) identity under different sociopolitical settings

“…Eglitis and Ardava specifically emphasised this point, referring to some Latvian publications and to the research of Klumbytė (2010) about nostalgia of Lithuanian 'losers' for the social and economic security of late socialism. However, this narrative of 'political and economic alienation' has not challenged the fundamental character of ethnic societal divide in the sphere of memory (Eglitis and Ardava 2012, 1045, 1048, 1052.…”

“…This conflict of memories is centered on narratives of World War II and, in particular, the Soviet 'occupation' or 'liberation' of Latvia. (Eglitis and Ardava 2012, 1038, see also 1056 Importantly, memory split has made significant impact on political struggles and party system: parties in Latvia have been divided by ethnicity, and 'voting across ethnic lines has not been commonplace in national elections' (Eglitis andArdava 2012, 1056).…”

“…served as a factor in unifying the Russian-speaking community under the banner of an 'ethnic alienation narrative' (Eglitis andArdava 2012, 1047) of 'liberation'.…”

The Place of Memory in Understanding Urban Change in Central Asia: The Cities of Bishkek and Ferghana

“…As Eglitis andArdava (2012, p. 1035) suggest, in their study of recollections, understandings and perceptions of the 'Baltic Way', collective memory may function as a source of identity. In the case of Ferghana memories of the gastronom specifically, and linked to this, of the cultural environment of the city more generally which existed in the late Soviet period, serve to sustain the previous strong collective identity of that community.…”

“…Across the former socialist space, research to date has demonstrated how people draw upon experiences from and memories of socialism in different ways in their everyday lives, and how often, despite warning messages from above (from the state), they remember this period in positive terms. Even in the Baltic countries, where at the state level conscious attempts have been made to omit fond memories of Soviet times from official discourse, at the private level positive recollections of the recent past are generally widespread (Eglitis & Ardava 2012;Kirss et al 2004;Klumbytė 2010). Furthermore, such recollections are found not only amongst Russianspeaking residents of the Baltic states, but also amongst members of the titular populations.…”