1st Edition

Defining Latvia Recent Explorations in History, Culture, and Politics

Edited By Michael Loader, Siobhán Hearne Copyright 2022
270 Pages
by Central European University Press

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... Read more
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

Biography

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.