What typology would you create that encompasses all types of action?

What typology (continuum, flow chart, et. cetera) would you create that
encompasses all types of action?

In her piece, Yoshiko Herrera explores Russian regionalism in the years immediately following the collapse of the USSR (a topic near and dear to my heart). Herrera examines why some regions that were ethnically Russian still exhibited pseudo-nationalist and separatist tendencies after the USSR collapsed. Herrera links these tendencies to perceived understandings of economics, which tended to vary significantly from the actual economic reality. She created a dataset from a huge set of local newspaper articles from 1990-1993 to examine these "imagined economies" and the presence of sovereignty-focused action. 

The most practical answer to the reading question would probably be a continuum. A continuum is pretty easily digestible and easy to understand. All types of action certainly can be placed on the continuum, though if you were to physically draw it out, the order and the spacing may be complicated. A continuum is less nuanced than a flow chart, per se, but certainly more practical. The nuance of a flow chart is worth exploring though. A flow chart allows for much more detailed examination of the way that actions interact with one another, and of the way that actions themselves are prompted. I think a continuum is better for encompassing all types of action in terms of representation and perhaps progression toward the extremes, but a flow chart is better for understanding the reasoning behind the real-world occurrence of the actions depicted. 

In the case of Russian regionalism, without reading Herrera's entire book and seeing her dataset, I think the continuum works well for her case. The ability to depict the different stages of "sovereignty-oriented activism" in each of Russia's many regions makes comparison between them all very easy. The continuum is an easily digestible scale that has broad applicability and does not require too much nuance to create nor to understand. 

I remain a little unsure of Herrera's argument in general, though. I certainly see how her points about disconnects between economic realities and economic perception could cause tumult or dissent at the regional level. What I fail to comprehend is her connection of economic dissent to nationalism, like that which has been seen in minority-majority states (I believe she mentions Chechnya, where ethnic Chechens are a majority ethnic group despite being very much a minority in Russia at large). I am skeptical that economic dissatisfaction and ethnic identity are both identities that lead regional elites to behave in the same secessionist manner, even just sometimes. I don't doubt that economic dissent has prompted many regional elites throughout the Russian Federation to seek a stronger degree of autonomy, but I struggle to see how that desire for autonomy is just the same as an autonomy struggle rooted in ethnic identity. 

Comments

  1. WilliamJune 30, 2020 at 11:30 AM

    Her book is quite interesting, and I'd encourage you to skim through since I know you're interested in post-Communist states. The argument about economic dissent throughout the book is more that economic issues can help bolster or resurrect an ethnic identity that previously hasn't meant too much. I agree that it would be particularly difficult to create an ethnic identity out of nowhere and have people immediately comply (though there are a number of notable post-Communist state exceptions), but the idea is that there is some ethnic identity whose resurrection is justified because of these perceived economic problems. The whole argument is based off of Benedict Anderson's book "Imagined Communities," which is also great and argues that all groups are essentially figments of people's imaginations. If you recall the Chandra reading earlier in the semester, he goes totally to the extreme of constructivism, which I think is an interesting thought exercise even if it rarely works exactly that way.

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  2. DevinJune 30, 2020 at 2:59 PM

    I think you are right that the regional nature of the study may point to a continuum style typology, although a flow chart can work as well. As I read, I found myself thinking more broadly about the ways that economic attitudes and nationalism intersect. This certainly seems to be connected to your research topic, as many factors, including economic factors, can impact voting for far-right parties. What do you think the roles of economic reality and economic perception are in the development of nationalist attitudes? Is there a connection, or do you think it's much more of a secondary factor or a non-issue?

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  3. Ge Yu's Blog PostJune 30, 2020 at 3:55 PM

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  4. Ge Yu's Blog PostJune 30, 2020 at 3:55 PM

    Hi Nathan, Russia is a particularly interesting case. The country transformed from a communist country to "regionalism," but the idea doesn't work, as stated in the reading. As I read through her words, I wonder if the economic issue during the first few years after USSR was caused by the collapsed foundation of the country, which the previous government had financial problems themselves. The first step new government took was to change the currency and distribute funds equally to people. Do you think such an idea is similar to communism? If so, do you think if the new government is taking the same action as the previous government would?

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