Can postcolonial theory help explain Latvian politics of integration? Reflections on contemporary Latvia as a postcolonial society

Democracy and civic society in Latvia are strongly affected by a multifaceted gap between the ethnic majority and minorities within contemporary Latvian society. The political elite are crucial actors in the politics of integration in Latvia. Postcolonial theories can help evaluate and explain the insufficiency of current integration policies in Latvia in respect to the participation of ethnic minorities in Latvia. Current integration challenges will be examined here based on two related issues of Latvian integration policies: (1) the process of naturalization and (2) the conflicting concepts of the twentieth-century Latvian history, especially the occupation in 1940. Both issues should be “revisited” using postcolonial explanatory potential in order to identify the causes of the long-lasting failure of integration policies in Latvia.