1Antonio Gramsci(1891-1937):Hegemony and cultureT&F p32Political discourse is the battle for cultural hegemony:• define the assumptions of political life• define the self and other• create a “banal” nationalism (ie create a culture that implicitly supports the hegemonic normative beliefs of the nation and state)• occurs not only at the scale of the state, but across many scalesCentral & Eastern Europe ethnic nationalism• Why ethnic? How does the region differ from western Europe?– Nation before state; state before nation– Cultural hegemony– Self-determination– Nationalism against the state2Identity and Nationalism in the Russian FederationSoviet Identity: Russian language and high culture, but multi-ethnic- civic nationalism focused on the stateEthnic/national identity:Over 100 recognized non-Russian ethnicities with varying degrees of territorial autonomySoviet Nationalities PolicyUSSRSSR’sASSR’s Oblasts KraysAuton. Oblasts Auton. OkrugsLenin’s plan and rationale behind nationalities policyTerritorial break up of USSR – along borders of SSR’s• arbitrary borders• created so as NOT to be congruent with the nation• for the most part not based on any historical borders! Russia’s borders reflect a loss of territory and not a historical state3What is Russia? What is Russian?Several problematic issues:1. Confusion over symbols and their meanings• Complex state tradition• Russians’ feelings of loss• Identity that is less clearly defined than that of non-Russians2. Can all Soviet groups be citizens of Russia? (Matrioshka Nationalism) 3. Are all religions permissible?4. Does Russia need a unique state ideology?5. Is Russia compatible with the West6. Territorial integrityFour Paradigms of Russian Nationalism1. Westernizing Nationalism• Civic, present borders, neg. communism, modernize2. Nativism• Ethnic, sobornost’, add Belarus, E. Ukraine, N. Kazakhstan, West spiritually inferior, strong state3. Eurasianism• Civic, add all Slavic lands of FSU, West is different4. Extreme National Patriotism (fascist)• Ethnic, all of FSU, West is foe, authoritarian stateNationalism in Ukraine• Rapidly shifting identities (Russian ! Ukrainian)• Civic• Oppositional model of identity– Ukraine is core of Europe (territory)– Russians are lazy
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