The Geography of Nationalism in Russia and the USSR

Robert J. Kaiser

Published by Princeton University Press 1994

The Geography of Nationalism in Russia and the USSR

Robert J. Kaiser

Volume 5178 in the series Princeton Legacy Library

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400887293

Overview
Contents

About this book

The Geography of Nationalism in Russia and the USSR is an important addition to the small library of essential works on the collapse of the Soviet empire. The first attempt to construct and test broad theoretical propositions about "place" and "territoriality" in the making of nations, it examines the critical social processes underlying the formation of nations and homelands in Russia and the USSR during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Robert Kaiser finds that for the most part national self-consciousness was only beginning to supplant a localist mentality by the time of World War I. The national problem faced by Lenin was fundamentally different from the more difficult nationalist challenge that confronted Gorbachev. In Kaiser's place-based theory, the homeland, once created in the imaginations of the indigenous masses, powerfully structured national processes and international relations. "Indigenization" from below became an active competitor with nationality policies that promoted Russification, resulting in the restructuring of ethnic stratification to favor indigenes in their own respective home republics and to challenge Russian dominance outside Russia. The revolutionary changes occurring since 1989, Kaiser argues, should therefore be seen as part of a longer process of indigenization.

Originally published in 1994.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Reviews

The book reflects sound scholarship, informed analysis, and thorough research.... His case is well argued and generally persuasive.... This excellent, well-written volume is valuable to anyone interested in the former Soviet Union or in nationalism and national territoriality in general.

An indispensable work.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Key to Map "Ethnonational Communities of the USSR" Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
List of Maps Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
List of Tables Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xiii
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xvii
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xix
Part One: Theoretical and Historical Framework
Chapter One. The Meaning of Homeland in the Study of Nationalism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
Chapter Two. The Making of Nations in Tsarist Russia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
Chapter Three. National Consolidation and Territoriality during the Interwar Period Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	94
Part Two: National Territoriality in the Postwar USSR
Chapter Four. Population Redistribution and National Territoriality, 1959-1989 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
Chapter Five. Social Mobilization and National Territoriality Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
Chapter Six. The Ethnocultural Transformation of Soviet Society: Russification versus Indigenization Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	250
Chapter Seven. Political Indigenization and the Disintegration of the USSR Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325
Chapter Eight. Conclusions and Implications Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	378
Appendix A: Evolution of the Soviet Federal System Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	409
Appendix B: Native Language Instruction in the USSR Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	414
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	417
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	447