Latvian Emigrant Identity and Ideas that Shape the Latvian State

Nov 6, 2014

Iveta Kesane, recipient of the 2014 Grundmanis Postgraduate Fellowship, is completing her PhD in Sociology at Kansas State University.  She is currently conducting field work for her dissertation, carrying out public narrative analysis and interviews with people who emigrated from Latvia in the last two decades, as well as those who have remained in Latvia.

For my doctoral studies I study emigration phenomenon from Latvia. In order to understand particular contexts in which emigrants have been articulating their self and identity, my dissertation will look at the state of Latvia itself, the ideas on which it has been rebuilt, how these ideas shaped particular loyalties of the state towards people and various organizations (e.g. national, global/international bodies), and how this has influenced the negotiation (relationship) between the state and its people/citizens. I seek to find out whether discrepancy between meanings which guide the conduct of the state and meanings which guide the conduct of people/citizens has shaped emigration not just as a socio-economic phenomenon but also as a cultural and emotional one.

iveta_kesane_webBefore her doctoral studies, Iveta worked at the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences in Riga where she gained great experience in the field of migration and integration research.  She has also been involved in various programs of the NGO “Shelter ‘Safe House’” (Riga), an organization which works with a variety of migrant groups.