Author Archives: Vesselina Ratcheva

Books Available for Review

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The following books are available for review. Please contact sen.reviews@lse.ac.uk if you are interested in reviewing one.

Scotland Votes, Secessionists Watch

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While the UK is engulfed in politics within the confines of the isle, the wider nationalist community are searching for a precedent for their own secessionist struggles. Catalan and Basque organisations have been campaigning with the Scots—as have the Flemish, Sardinians and Venetians. Catalonians have shown a particular interest in the Scottish referendum—now more strongly than ever before—and pushing towards a similar vote for themselves. About a year ago, Professor Daniele Conversi, Research Professor at the University of the Basque Country, spoke to us about the relationships between the different movements.

Straight from the streets of the Basque country, I had a chance to snap some of those who have shown support. And as we watch the events unfold tomorrow, it’s worth remembering that they indicate more than the fate of just one state.

You can follow the unfolding events on Google’s specially created site or track them across the collection of sites we collated early last year.

Scottish flag & Basque supportCatalan and Basque

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Dissidence in Israel to Theorising Ethno-Linguistic Holism

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articlespotlight

Inter-connections between our past academic articles and last week’s news, read it here:

Bent Twigs and Olive Branches: Exploring the Narratives of Dissident Israeli Jews Volume 13, Issue 1, pages 20–37, April 2013

This article explores symbolic boundaries and identity-formation of the ‘ethnonational Us’, using narrative analysis of eleven Israeli-Jewish dissidents. The hegemonic nationalist discourse in Israel – Zionism – constructs the dissidents’ identities as the ‘Virtuous Us’, yet these individuals genuinely try to connect with the ‘Demonized Palestinian Other’. I suggest that the dissidents attempt to use alternative national identity discourses to overcome symbolic boundaries. I highlight inconsistencies within individual dissidents’ narratives and attribute them to the employment of multiple discourses, suggesting that some discourses fail to coherently reconcile ‘national’ history with the well-being of the Other, whilst others repel dissidents by appearing to negate or destroy their identities. The dissidents, therefore, cannot use the available discourses to fully overcome symbolic boundaries. Only the hegemonic nationalist discourse can offer a self-evident and compelling enunciation of the dissidents’ political reality, leading one insightful dissident to conclude that there is ‘no way out’ of his dilemma.

A Holistic Approach to Language, Religion, and Ethnicity Volume 13, Issue 1, pages 101–104, April 2013

If language, religion, ethnicity, and nation are all sources and forms of social distinction and personal identification, what happens when these categories/identities overlap or cut across each other? How are these terms used in everyday contexts, and what can we learn from the slippages between them? In light of these two questions, we question Brubaker’s sanguinity regarding religious and language pluralism in the twenty-first century.

East to East: Czech to Indian Nationalism

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articlespotlight Yet again we have selected some articles for you which speak to the news from last week’s news bites.

 Developing an Effective Romani Integration Strategy: Experiences of Ethnoculturally Neutral and Specific Policies in the Czech Republic Volume 8, Issue 3, pages 595–618, December 2008

While the question of how to integrate Romani communities has increased in political significance since the 1990s, a consensus has yet to be reached on how best to design integration policies for such a heterogeneous group of people. This article examines debates on whether ethnoculturally specific or neutral policies are more appropriate. Using the Czech Romani integration policy as a case study, it identifies as a significant problem the conflation of the Romani ethnic identity with the low socio-economic status of many (but not all) Roma. This has led to a policy focus on programmes to tackle social deprivation rather than addressing the discrimination which affects all Roma regardless of class. As a consequence of the decentralisation of power in the Czech Republic and the ingrained nature of anti-Romani prejudice, policies, whether ethnoculturally neutral or specific, will be implemented or rejected at the local level on the basis of local priorities.

Identities in India: Region, Nationality and Nationalism – A Theoretical Framework Volume 7, Issue 2, pages 79–93, September 2007

Given the complexity of identity in India, where ethnicity alone can only inadequately define constituent regional communities such as the Oriyas, Bengalis, Tamils and Keralites, a regional perspective provides a more useful analytical approach. In India, a territorially defined region is the most inclusive segment, which has linguistic, historical and socio-cultural connotations. Apart from the historical importance of region, it has now taken many ethnic characteristics within its ambit. While discussing the importance of ‘region’ in India, this article tries to show the weakness of an ethnic perspective in defining the identity of various language-based, but geographically confined, communities of India. The article also tries to explore how regional identities can be reconciled with a pan-Indian ideology. Perhaps in the post-modern world, this is the greatest challenge that India has to grapple with, and one that requires judicious policies and practices