Conscription as Political Socialization in Divided Societies? Evidence from post-Soviet Estonia and post-independence Finland
Facts
- Contact person:
- Christofer Berglund
- Financer:
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- Östersjöstiftelsen
- Responsible at MaU:
- Christofer Berglund
- Project members at MaU:
- External project members:
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- Joakim Ekman - Södertörn University
- Ilmari Käihkö - Swedish Defence University
- Affiliated:
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- Kairi Kasearu - University of Tartu
- Eleri Lillemäe - Estonian Military Academy
- Jason Lyall - Dartmouth College
- Tiia-Triin Truusa - Baltic Defence College
- Collaborators :
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- International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS)
- Time frame:
- 01 January 2021 - 31 December 2024
- Faculty/department:
- Research environment :
- Research subject:
About the project
Can the armed forces help build national communities out of divided societies? Conscription can be a tool for turning reluctant recruits into faithful citizens. But, in divided societies, officials might not recognise some groups as proper 'citizenship material', and some groups might not perceive the state as their own. Service then becomes a focal point for negotiations over the social contract between the state and marginalised groups. We investigate these issues using a mixed-methods design in the context of post-Soviet Estonia (1990-present) and post-independence Finland (1917-1945). Even when marginalised groups – in our case, Russian speakers and “reds” – are entrusted with positions in the armed forces, it remains an open question whether and if so, how socialisation occurs. Building on archival sources in Finland, as well as elite interviews and quantitative opinion data in Estonia, we contribute new evidence to this debate.
Deliverables
International team
Our project is based at Södertörn University and brings together an international team of scholars around a topic of enduring academic importance as well as practical significance to the Baltic Sea region.