Since Ukrainian independence, in 1991, issues of nation and statehood have become topics of concern to Western social scientists, and Ukrainian scholars and political and cultural activists. Nonetheless, the ways in which national identity is being conceptualised and constructed have not been studied in depth. This thesis aims to explore the processes through which national identity is being constructed at a time of rapid social, economic and political change. It does this at a variety of scales: at the state, regional and individual levels. The methods used are primarily qualitative in their nature, as these allow the researcher to capture the complexities and subtleties of identity issues. The study demonstrates that many interpretations of the new state and its people existed at the time of research, but that certain visions had more influence than others. It also highlights the ways in which concepts of ethnic, and civic identity were highly intertwined, which raises fundamental questions about social, political and cultural inclusion and exclusion. The thesis argues that a crucial aspect of establishing the state's identity has been a (re)imagining of its geography. This has involved defining and interpreting regional differences in Ukraine, and at the same time new geographies of power - between the regions and the centre - have been established. A case study of Zaporizhzhia, located in the eastern part of Ukraine, demonstrates that at the local scale some of the same ambiguities and tensions uncovered at the state scale could be identified. However, this was taking place through a local framework of debates and ideas. The study thus raises fundamental questions about whether an inclusive sense of national identity can be developed in Ukraine which celebrates and embraces diversity, and opens up new challenges for Western social scientists to develop concepts which can illuminate and incorporate Ukrainian and post-Soviet experiences.

The main aim of this project is to explore the construction of national identity as performed by members of the Russian-speaking communities living in Scotland through the analysis of intergenerational narratives and conversations between parents and their children appearing in families in everyday situations. The subject of the research is the Russian community living in Scotland. This thesis aims to answer the following questions: How do Russian migrants construct and re-construct their Russianness during the constant process of interpretation of the new reality, new country, new culture. In what way do they attempt to exhibit their Russianness to their children in the process of everyday interaction? How do the children respond to these attempts and how do they contribute and co-construct the creation of identity? Which linguistic means and strategies are used to display and pass on the elements of the identity constructed? Are there any patterns used by adults in identity creations or any likely systematic actions undertaken during the identity performances? Do the adults achieve their intended aims, if they have any? The methodological framework of the thesis exploits Foucault’s, Goffman’s and Blumer’s theories in which the identity is seen as a discursive phenomenon created and shaped by interactions appearing in everyday situations. The empirical data are analysed using Bucholtz and Hall’s sociocultural linguistic approach which enables the embedding of the study of interaction in a broader ethnographic context. Moreover, in the analytical part of the thesis the Conversational Analysis, Narrative Analysis and Membership Categorisation Analysis are employed.

This thesis examines how discourses are utilised by media and political elites to construct, propagate, and alter national and ethnic identities. It uses Latvia as a case study, focusing on the construction of ‘Russian-speaking’ identity from the late Soviet period to the present. A central aim of this research is to study how discursive constructions of identity are created, and to what extent media and politicians are able to influence such constructions. In order to meaningfully assess the extent of multiple influences over discursive production and consumption this research employs a triangulated approach, using data from focus groups, elite interviews with Latvian politicians, survey data, and discourse analysis of the Latvian press. This has allowed for a fuller examination and assessment of top-down and bottom-up influences and pressures on identity creation and how these are interrelated. Previously conducted research on ethnopolitical identities in Latvia has revealed how collective memories, interpretations of the Soviet past, post-Soviet state-building policies, and issues surrounding language usage are all heavily politicised and used to demarcate the boundaries between the ‘core nation’ (Latvians) on the one hand, and ‘Russian-speakers’ on the other. Accordingly, this research explores how the constructions of these positions are negotiated, propagated, intensified, or mitigated through discursive practices, as manifested in media, political, or personal discourses. This research is concerned with the temporally contingent nature of discourses and as such, considers multiple eras, rather than a single de-contextualised and static time period, to investigate how discourses have evolved in the Latvian context. By comparing discursive productions from the late Soviet period with those of the present, it has been possible to examine how certain discursive positions have become meaningfully embedded within popularly conceived notions of identity. It has also facilitated a study of discursive strategies by people who attempt to represent Russian-speakers in the media and political spaces. This research argues that discourses are firmly rooted in the past, even if their contemporary form differs greatly from that of the past.