PhD defence of Kristina Kallas

On 26 September, Kristina Kallas is defending her doctoral dissertation on “Revisiting the triadic nexus: An analysis of the ethnopolitical interplay between Estonia, Russia and Estonian Russians”. The public defence takes place at 16.00 at the Senate Hall of the University of Tartu (Ülikooli 18).

Supervisor: Vello Pettai (University of Tartu)
Opponent: Pål Kolstø (University of Oslo)

Synopsis:
The PhD dissertation focuses on analysing the dynamic relationship of ethnopolitical relations in triadic configuration between Estonia as nationalising state, Estonian Russians as a minority and Russia as historic homeland of the minority. By applying the conceptual framework of triadic nexus developed by Rogers Brubaker (1996) the dissertation analysis Estonia’s ethnopolitical regime and the dynamics of its change in last two decades. The dissertation analysis the relationship between Estonian state and Estonian Russians, integration policy and integration process, the impact of EU conditionality policy on minority rights regime in Estonia and the role and actions taken by Russia as the historic homeland and the successor of Soviet Union towards Russophone populations in Estonia and elsewhere in near abroad. The dissertation summarises the new interpretations and empirical applications of Brubaker’s model in academic literature and postulates new dynamics of interplay in triadic configuration based on developments in recent decade. While Brubaker argued that the main catalyst of ethnopolitical confrontation in the nexus were nationalising states around Russia that inherited large number of Russian-speaking residents, the dissertation argues that nation-building processes in Russia in last decade permit to argue that the main protagonist of rather conflictual ethnopolitical relations in the nexus is Russia.

For the electronic version of the dissertation, click here.

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Forwarded by:
Maili Vilson
Research Communication Specialist
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
University of Tartu
maili.vilson@ut.ee