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Making Ethnicity in Southern Bessarabia
Tracing the Histories of an Ambiguous Concept in a Contested Land
Series: - Eurasian Studies Library, Volume: 14
Author:
In Making Ethnicity, Simon Schlegel offers a history of ethnicity and its political uses in southern Bessarabia, a region that has long been at the crossroads of powerful forces: in the 19th century between the Russian and Ottoman Empires, since World War I between the Soviet Union and Romania, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union between Russia and the European Unionâs respective zones of influence.
Drawing on biographical interviews and archival documents, Schlegel argues that ethnic categories gained relevance in the 19th century, as state bureaucrats took over local administration from the church. After mutating into a dangerous instrument of social engineering in the mid-20th century, ethnicity today remains a potent force for securing votes and allocating resources.
Drawing on biographical interviews and archival documents, Schlegel argues that ethnic categories gained relevance in the 19th century, as state bureaucrats took over local administration from the church. After mutating into a dangerous instrument of social engineering in the mid-20th century, ethnicity today remains a potent force for securing votes and allocating resources.
Simon Schlegel, Ph.D. (2016) Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, between 2017 and 2019 he coordinated the Civil Peace Service project âEmpowering Civil Society for a Transformation of Commemorative Cultureâ in Kyiv, Ukraine. He is a research associate at Loughborough University.
Contents
Acknowledgements
List of Maps and Figures
Notes
1 Introduction
â1âCentral Questions
â2âHistory and Anthropology, Some Methodological Implications
â3âLocating the Field Site and Choosing a Name for It
â4âA Brief Historical Outline
â5âEthnicity, Natsionalânostâ, and Nationality: Definitions and Translations
â6âChapter Structure
2 Administering the Periphery from Horseback
â1âThe Stateâs Hunger for Tax and Men
â2âColonists out of the Stateâs Sight
â3âKeep It Separate, Keep It Simple
â4âBureaucracy Evolving: the Church Gives Way to the State
â5âThe Categories of the Census Taker and the Ethnographer
â6âEthnicity in Revolutionary Minds
3 Persuasion and ParanoiaâRomaniaâs Rule in Bessarabia 1918â44
â1âNewcomer Elites in a Hostile Land
â2âSpying on Minorities
â3âCounting and Categorizing Minorities
â4âEthnicity as a Proxy for Trustworthiness
â5âBringing the Past into Line
â6âEugenics and Ethnic Cleansing
4 Politically Desirable Theory and Its Way into Folk Theory
â1âThe Imperial Roots of Diverging Ethnicity Concepts
â2âSelf-Identification vs. AscriptionâWho Gets to Draw Ethnic Boundaries?
â3âState-Approved Concepts of Ethnicity in Post-War Soviet Academia
â4âGut Feeling and Folk Theories of Ethnicity
â5âGrand Scheme Planning and the âPrimordial Trapâ
5 Ethnic Minorities and Soviet Newcomers
â1âEthnicity and the Hierarchy of Trust in Post-War Southern Bessarabia
â2âThe Stewards of a New Model State
â3âEthnicity Performed in Public
â4âSoviet Education and the Friendship of Peoples
â5âStagnation and Revived Ethnic Consciousness
6 Post-Soviet Instability, Clientelism and the Persistence of Ethnic Boundaries
â1âThe Power of Benefaction
â2âThe Roots of Clientelism in Ethnic and Non-Ethnic Networks
â3âEthnicity in Local Politics: Three Strategies
â4âPolitical Representation and the Pressure to Choose a Clear-Cut Ethnic Identity
â5âWhen Clear-Cut Boundaries Encounter Fuzzy Identities
7 The Narratives and Techniques that Maintain Ethnic Boundaries
â1âPure and Impure Language
â2âReligionâs Ambiguous Role in Marking Ethnicity
â3âCommon Historical Experience and Collective Memory
â4âProcessed Folklore
â5âGenetic Narratives of Ethnic Belonging
â6âGeneralizing the Inside, Omitting the Outside
8 ConclusionâDelimiting Ethnic Groups as a Tool of Statecraft
â1âThe Significance of Ethnicity: Continuities and Ruptures
â2âWhen Ethnic Boundaries Become Obstacles
â3âEthnic Boundaries, Whom Do They Serve?
â4âNarratives and Techniques
â5âThe Trouble with Fuzzy Boundaries
â6âEthnicity as a Beacon of Stability
References
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
List of Maps and Figures
Notes
1 Introduction
â1âCentral Questions
â2âHistory and Anthropology, Some Methodological Implications
â3âLocating the Field Site and Choosing a Name for It
â4âA Brief Historical Outline
â5âEthnicity, Natsionalânostâ, and Nationality: Definitions and Translations
â6âChapter Structure
2 Administering the Periphery from Horseback
â1âThe Stateâs Hunger for Tax and Men
â2âColonists out of the Stateâs Sight
â3âKeep It Separate, Keep It Simple
â4âBureaucracy Evolving: the Church Gives Way to the State
â5âThe Categories of the Census Taker and the Ethnographer
â6âEthnicity in Revolutionary Minds
3 Persuasion and ParanoiaâRomaniaâs Rule in Bessarabia 1918â44
â1âNewcomer Elites in a Hostile Land
â2âSpying on Minorities
â3âCounting and Categorizing Minorities
â4âEthnicity as a Proxy for Trustworthiness
â5âBringing the Past into Line
â6âEugenics and Ethnic Cleansing
4 Politically Desirable Theory and Its Way into Folk Theory
â1âThe Imperial Roots of Diverging Ethnicity Concepts
â2âSelf-Identification vs. AscriptionâWho Gets to Draw Ethnic Boundaries?
â3âState-Approved Concepts of Ethnicity in Post-War Soviet Academia
â4âGut Feeling and Folk Theories of Ethnicity
â5âGrand Scheme Planning and the âPrimordial Trapâ
5 Ethnic Minorities and Soviet Newcomers
â1âEthnicity and the Hierarchy of Trust in Post-War Southern Bessarabia
â2âThe Stewards of a New Model State
â3âEthnicity Performed in Public
â4âSoviet Education and the Friendship of Peoples
â5âStagnation and Revived Ethnic Consciousness
6 Post-Soviet Instability, Clientelism and the Persistence of Ethnic Boundaries
â1âThe Power of Benefaction
â2âThe Roots of Clientelism in Ethnic and Non-Ethnic Networks
â3âEthnicity in Local Politics: Three Strategies
â4âPolitical Representation and the Pressure to Choose a Clear-Cut Ethnic Identity
â5âWhen Clear-Cut Boundaries Encounter Fuzzy Identities
7 The Narratives and Techniques that Maintain Ethnic Boundaries
â1âPure and Impure Language
â2âReligionâs Ambiguous Role in Marking Ethnicity
â3âCommon Historical Experience and Collective Memory
â4âProcessed Folklore
â5âGenetic Narratives of Ethnic Belonging
â6âGeneralizing the Inside, Omitting the Outside
8 ConclusionâDelimiting Ethnic Groups as a Tool of Statecraft
â1âThe Significance of Ethnicity: Continuities and Ruptures
â2âWhen Ethnic Boundaries Become Obstacles
â3âEthnic Boundaries, Whom Do They Serve?
â4âNarratives and Techniques
â5âThe Trouble with Fuzzy Boundaries
â6âEthnicity as a Beacon of Stability
References
Bibliography
Index
All interested in the history of ethnicity and nationalism in Russia, Romania, Ukraine and the Soviet Union, and anyone interested in the historical anthropology of Eastern Europe. Keywords: nationalities, nationalism, historical anthropology, memory, language policy, minorities, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Romania, Russia, Moldova, Gagauziya, and Gagauz.