Ethnic Minorities in the Political Discourse of Latvia

Abstract

The article discusses the specific ways in which ethnic minorities are represented in the public space of Latvia (legislation on the issues of ethnic policy, documents of political parties, ethnic-political discourses, etc.). The author draws on the outcome of sociological research on the opinions of prominent figures of the public political life about Latvian ethnic minorities. The research was conducted in 2015 at the initiative of the author and was aimed at examining the positions of expert authorities on the desirability of focusing on the issue of ethnic minorities, such as Russians in Latvia, in the public sphere of the country and its political discourses.