Postsovetskoe pokhmel’e: zashchita pliuralizma identichnostei v stranakh Baltii

This paper analyses the main arguments within debates on multicultural societies and political practices of coexistence of various groups representing these societies. We argue that there are two main principles that limit applicability of multiculturalism in the Post-socialist context. First, individual agency cannot be addressed without the context of political institutions that are created by ethnic majorities. And, second, the priorities of individual actors should be approached from the standpoint of egalitarian equality on individual level. These two principles produce a constant tension and result in substantial consequences for ethnic communities, political institutes that regulate social conflicts, and also individuals that are constantly negotiating their subjective positions with the identities of other social actors.