The Spirit Of Survival: Projections of International Solidarity and Security in Contemporary Estonia
Abstract
This thesis explores the relationship between national cultural spaces and identity
in a former Soviet-Bloc state. Through the lens of Estonian history museums and national
performances, this paper studies how representations of national identity in the post-Soviet
context are a reaction to dominant transnational forces that increasingly challenge
the post-Soviet state’s perceptions of respect and power. Applying critical discourse
analysis (CDA) theory, I connect museum and song texts to their social and political
environment and to overarching global factors. In particular, I analyze Estonian song
themes and historical narratives in relation to the Estonian nation, how they fit
within the state’s political goals of ‘returning to Europe’, abide by the cultural
models of what it means to be ‘European’, and project idealized conditions of a nation-state,
such as ethnic homogeneity. Based on my evidence, I argue that the national performance
and museum narratives are representing diverging ideals of the nation and state, respectively,
in the contemporary era. Although the two representations are not completely incompatible,
they position the state on an unstable foundation, which could lead to state sanctioned
unrest in the future.
Type
Honors thesisDepartment
International Comparative StudiesPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18563Citation
Loweth, Katharyn (2019). The Spirit Of Survival: Projections of International Solidarity and Security in Contemporary
Estonia. Honors thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18563.Collections
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