. The paper is authored by SIDESTREAM PI Mari-Liis Jakobson and research assistant Anastassia Tuuder.
This article delves into the complex narratives employed by right-wing populists in Estonia, examining how their perception of the Russian minority in Estonia has transformed over time and what kind of discursive shifts this produces. Through a detailed analysis, the paper reveals how these narratives shift from antagonism to a more favorable depiction, ultimately incorporating select ethnic minority groups into the populist vision of “the People.” Yet, this does not imply that the nativist and securitization discourses are fading away. The article deconstructs, how also the more favourable discourse still holds on to nativist beliefs, introducing a new concept, assiminationalism to capture the more liberal, yet still nativist notion of immigrant integration pushed by the far right. The findings provide critical insights into the strategies of right-wing populist storytelling and its implications for ethnic minority integration.
Read the full article here.