Defining Latvia

"Empirically rich and analytically astute, this volume illuminates the constitutive tensions of modern Europe through the lens of Latvia. These include establishing and securing national states in multi-ethnic contexts, negotiating the competing ideologies of liberalism, nationalism, and socialism, and fighting wars that threaten the very existence of peoples and states. Located at the eastern border of some editions of the 'Western World' and the western border of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, the small state of Latvia has seen these tensions rip through institutions, families, and individual lives. It is for this reason that this book should be read by all those interested in Europe's present and future."—Dace Dzenovska

"Defining Latvia offers a multilayered, multidisciplinary analysis of Latvian identity from the nineteenth century to the present. The volume contributes to understanding the construction of Latvian identity as a continuous and interconnected process across significant political and ideological ruptures. This argument is meaningful not only for scholars and policy makers of Latvia but also has relevance for understanding historical and contemporary debates on national construction in Europe more broadly."—Mara Lazda

"Emerging from a joint scholarly effort to mark the centenary of Latvia's independence, this collection does precisely what its editors claim: in nine essays, we are presented with the most up-to-date research in English on Latvia's historical experience since the late nineteenth century. By exploring the evolution of what it meant to be Latvian, Defining Latvia marks a major milestone in Latvian historiography."—Geoffrey Swain