STRATEGIC USES OF NATIONALISM AND ETHNIC CONFLICT

Kolstø examines how the drivers behind ethnic conflicts in the non-Russian republics were not only the struggles for collective identities but also more mundane interests, such as competition for jobs and positions.He also analyses the transformations of Russian nationalism, both among the ruling elite and in the opposition, with a particular focus on the use of symbolism.

• Collects 8 thoroughly revised articles and book chapters, together with a new introductory theoretical chapter, based on Pål Kolstø's 30 years of study of nationalism and ethnic conflict in post-Soviet states
• Uses inter-related case studies in Russia and the former Soviet Union
• Theoretically informed, with both an overarching theoretical framework and chapter-specific theoretical discussions
• Shows how the resurgence of ethnonationalism in the post-Soviet world compells us to re-examine the dynamics of ethnic conflict
• Based on specific empirical cases, drawing on a wealth of primary sources