Reviews
"Ethnic Struggle, Coexistence, and Democratization in Eastern Europe is an innovative and thoughtful analysis of difficult ethnic politics in Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine - and the transformative power of deliberation and minority protest in ameliorating conflict. The systematic attention to the temporal dynamics of contention and moderation makes it an outstanding contribution to the field." Anna Grzymala-Busse, University of Michigan, "This meticulously researched study persuasively demonstrates how the routinization of contestation in multi-ethnic polities can contribute to democratic consolidation and lead publics away from (rather than toward) violent confrontation. The book also shows how ethnic and linguistic minorities not represented as groups in national political parties can nonetheless prompt meaningful political change. Stroschein's findings, while firmly grounded in multiple Eastern European contexts, have important implications for democratic theory and the practice of building democratic institutions beyond the region. This book should be of great interest to social scientists and policy practitioners alike." Jessica Pisano, University of Ottawa, "Ethnic Struggle, Coexistence, and Democratization in Eastern Europe is an innovative and thoughtful analysis of difficult ethnic politics in Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine - and the transformative power of deliberation and minority protest in ameliorating conflict. The systematic attention to the temporal dynamics of contention and moderation makes it an outstanding contribution to the field." -Anna Grzymala-Busse, University of Michigan, "Sherrill Stroschein's book is a valuable read for comparative scholars and area experts...the volume is useful, provoking, and responsibly presented" - Richard P. Farkas, DePaul University, Slavic Review, "Sherrill Stroschein reinvents the study of contentious politics in divided societies by making two original and compelling arguments. One is that the policy concerns of ordinary citizens, rather than the manipulative actions of political leaders, explain why minorities mobilize. The other is that such mobilizations, especially over time, provide needed information to citizens and policy-makers. As a result, they contribute to more positive relations between majorities and minorities while investing in the quality of public policy and democratic life." Valerie Bunce, Cornell University, "Ethnic Struggle, Coexistence, and Democratization in Eastern Europe is an innovative and thoughtful analysis of difficult ethnic politics in Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine and the transformative power of deliberation and minority protest in ameliorating conflict. The systematic attention to the temporal dynamics of contention and moderation makes it an outstanding contribution to the field." -Anna Grzymala-Busse, University of Michigan, "Sherrill Stroschein's book is a valuable read for comparative scholars and area experts ... the volume is useful, provoking, and responsibly presented." Richard P. Farkas, DePaul University, Slavic Review, "Sherrill Stroschein reinvents the study of contentious politics in divided societies by making two original and compelling arguments. One is that the policy concerns of ordinary citizens, rather than the manipulative actions of political leaders, explain why minorities mobilize. The other is that such mobilizations, especially over time, provide needed information to citizens and policy-makers. As a result, they contribute to more positive relations between majorities and minorities while investing in the quality of public policy and democratic life." -Valerie Bunce, Cornell University, "This meticulously researched study persuasively demonstrates how the routinization of contestation in multi-ethnic polities can contribute to democratic consolidation and lead publics away from (rather than toward) violent confrontation. The book also shows how ethnic and linguistic minorities not represented as groups in national political parties can nonetheless prompt meaningful political change. Stroschein's findings, while firmly grounded in multiple Eastern European contexts, have important implications for democratic theory and the practice of building democratic institutions beyond the region. This book should be of great interest to social scientists and policy practitioners alike." -Jessica Pisano, University of Ottawa
Table of Content
1. Ethnic protest, moderation, and democratization; 2. Time, process, and events in democratization; 3. Ethnic contention in context; 4. Local violence and uncertainty in T'rgu Mures, 1990; 5. The power of symbols: Romanians, Hungarians, and King Mathias in Cluj; 6. Forging language laws: schools and sign wars; 7. Debating local governance: autonomy, local control, and minority enclaves; 8. Implications of group interaction.