Browsing by Subject "Ressentiment"

This research paper focuses on the challenges faced by the Russian-speaking minority in Estonia and the feeling of ressentiment which members of this group may experience. The background of this situation begins with the minority of Russian speakers who lived in Estonia during the Soviet regime and held key positions in society. After the collapse of the Soviet Union these people were provided with alien’s passports and left in an uncertain position in the Estonian society. Today, Estonia has a large number of Russian-speaking people with the majority being born in Estonia, and others immigrating to Estonia from other countries. The Russian-speaking minority in Estonia includes people from various national backgrounds, but they all share the mother tongue Russian. This research focuses on the feeling of ressentiment and the various experiences which highlight this, where individuals face a wide range of issues in society, such as language barrier and lack of Estonian citizenship. In the theoretical part of this research, the concept of ressentiment is discussed and 5 hypotheses are given based on previous research of the Russian – speaking minority in Estonia. In order to understand the extent of the feeling of ressentiment in the Russian-speaking minority in Estonia, 9 interviews were conducted with informants who shared this background. The hypotheses presented in the theoretical part of this paper were tested and the factors that influence the feeling of ressentiment were identified. This research has revealed that the feeling of ressentiment exists in the Russian-speaking society in Estonia, but it is unevenly distributed and it cannot be claimed that every representative of this society experiences it. This research emphasizes such aspects as the uniqueness of Russian speakers in Estonia and the integration they have experienced in Estonian society. The importance of the cultural background and different attributes of the Russian minority is crucial towards understanding the research conducted and results, since it clarifies the full context of the influence of ressentiment.