This text reconsiders established interpretations of ethnic factors in the former Soviet Union and in contemporary Russia, arguing that: ethnicity is a complex phenomenon playing a multi-faceted role; ethnicity is the most accessible and understandable basis for political mobilization; ethnicity is a means of access to power and resources in a transforming society; and ethnicity is a therapy for the great trauma suffered by nationalities under previous regimes. This analysis of post-Soviet nationalism covers both its hegemonic forms, executed by dominant groups like the Russians, and its periphery (or defensive) forms, subscribed to mainly by ethnic minorities with diminished status. Both have common features and are prone to conflicts which constitute a major obstacle to civic nation-building and democratic reform. The book also analyzes demographic, ecological and cultural backgrounds of ethnic tensions and conflict. Grassroots ethnic attitudes and cultural interactions - which often contradict intellectual and political statements and claims, are measured.
The book reveals the crucial role of well-educated elites in post-Soviet society and the high vulnerability to irresponsible manipulation of a poorly modernized populace. The contradictory nature and outcomes of public ethnic policies based on a doctrine of ethno-nationalism are analyzed. The conclusion reached is that Soviet and post-Soviet nations, as well as the violent ethno-politics, are rooted in the disparities and malfunctioning of the Soviet regime, and in the deliberate efforts to build a state on ethnic principles and encourage ethnic institutions and exclusive identities. Referring to the experiences of other regions in the world and of multi-ethnic countries, Professor Tishkov suggests a strategy and mechanisms for governing conflicting ethnicity in complex societies. He seeks political structures and a public climate allowing the preservation of a cultural mosaic and group integrity within a policy of cultural pluralism, civil rights and individual freedom.