Borderland Russians Identity, Narrative and International Relations [Paperback]

Geir H?nneland discusses some of the big questions in social science: What is identity? What is the role of identity and narrative in the study of international relations? The location is the Kola Peninsula, the most heavily militarized area of the world during the Cold War, now set to become Europe's next big oil playground.Author PrefacePreface by Iver Neumann Introduction The Kola Peninsula: Politics, Society, International Networks How to be a Northerner: Distinguishing North from South How to be a Russian: Distinguishing East from West Living in the Northern Environment Narrative, Identity and International Relations References

I am fully convinced that this book provides a compelling case for the use of fieldwork and ethnographic methods in the study of foreign policy and international security.  (Southeast European and Black Sea Studies)

'What a great snapshot of everyday identity in a Russian province! Local knowledge has arrived in International Relations'

Iver B. Neumann, Professorof Russian Studies, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and author of Uses of the Other: 'the East' in European Identity Formation

'The book treats one of the hottest and coolest issues in IR, the question of identity, in a well-informed, earnest, lively, humorous and entertaining manner. It solves the big issues ' and yet makes pertinent observations on what it means to be a Russian, a Notherner, and most interesting, a Borderlander.'

Sergei Medvedev, Professor, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

'This book is very worth reading, because it gives a good insight into the way of thinking of the Kola Peninsula's ordinary population and, moreover, in a very easily understandable way.'

Polar Record

'Borderland Russians is a good read, and its added value stretches from the local level to the bigger questions dl“í