?
Between the State and the Nation: Dilemmas of Identity Politics in Post-Soviet Societies
Two closely related but essentially different political projects coexist in the post-Soviet states. One is designed to form a modern civic nation, the other, to consolidate the state institutions and national (nation-state) identity. The profound social differences and ethnocultural divides that emerge as these states promote the projects are putting on the agenda the need to find the means to consolidate the political community and focus the political discourse on problems of national and civic identity. This article presents comparative analyses of identity politics pursued by three post-Soviet republics-Kazakhstan, Armenia and Belarus-that differ markedly in terms of their ethnic and cultural composition, cultural and civilizational nature, and social and economic development resources. The research is based on in-depth interviews taken at research and expert centers in the three republics and is preceded by a critical overview of the local nation and nation-building concepts in the context of post-Soviet transformations. The conclusion is that their political practices prioritize state-building, with civic nation consolidation coming second. The article notes the steady divergence of the two projects' trajectories and often the opposite effects of using the potential of civic identity in political and intellectual discourses.