The Higher School of Economics was an ideal location for me to be based as it is an excellent and highly-regarded research institution

Kyle Marquardt, PhD Candidate, in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin - Madison discusses his work at the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development (CSID HSE) and life in Russia.

Kyle Marquardt, PhD Candidate, in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin - Madison discusses his work at the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development (CSID HSE) and life in Russia.

 

   –  Why did you choose post-Soviet region as a subject of your research and the Higher School of Economics as the place to do your research?

   – I chose the post-Soviet region for reasons of both pragmatism and theoretical interest: pragmatism because I have over  ten years of experience studying the region and speak several regional languages, and theoretically because the region  allows me to explore a diverse set of cases with a somewhat similar institutional history (i.e. that which Soviet nationality  policy engendered).

The Higher School of Economics has been an ideal location for me to be based as it is an excellent and highly-regarded  research institution; interactions with other researchers at the International Center for the Study of Institutions and  Development have always provided me with excellent insight on my research agenda from a variety of perspectives, and I  hope that the feeling is mutual.

 

  –  What is currently the subject of your research?

  – My research concerns the link between language, ethnic identity, and regional sovereignty movements. Many scholars conflate ethnic identity and linguistic capabilities, especially when studying language policy, ethnic mobilization and sovereignty movements; I argue that doing so is untenable. By virtue of being a trait that is difficult to change and highly salient on a day-to-day basis, linguistic proficiency can impact an individual’s political preferences in drastically different ways than ethnic identity, which can be situation-contingent. Indeed, I argue that many cases of ethnic conflict and pro-sovereignty mobilization (perhaps most importantly, those that arose during the disintegration of the Soviet Union) in fact have a linguistic basis.

 

–    Why did you choose these topics?

–   I chose this topic because of my longstanding interest in language politics; this interest has been strengthened over the course of my experiences in Eurasia, during which I have had had the opportunity to discuss these issues with friends and colleagues of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. I firmly believe that scholars and policymakers should pay much more attention to the nature of linguistic claims, as doing so is essential to resolving many cases of purportedly ethnic conflict, especially in Eurasia.

 

–    What kind of research to you plan to carry out in the future?

–   I am currently writing my dissertation, which focuses on the issues I described earlier; the dissertation includes both quantitative and qualitative analyses of cases from the Russian Volga region and Moldova.  Upon completion of the dissertation, I hope to expand the focus of my work, both in terms of regions and in terms of my dependent variables. Regarding the former, I hope to analyze the link between language and separatism cross-nationally. Regarding the latter, I plan to investigate how linguistic and ethnic demographics can impact economic development and bureaucratic organization.

 

–    As I know you have been learning the Russian language for about 10 years. What practical advice can you give to your colleges so that they can meet with success in their linguistic endeavors?

–   The only advice I can give is to have patience: Russian is an incredibly rich language, with nuances that take a very long time to understand. I didn’t feel truly comfortable with Russian until I had spent two years living in post-Soviet states, though in my defense I devoted a large amount of that time to simultaneously studying several Turkic languages as well.

 

–    Do you have practical advice for foreign colleagues who are going to do research in Russia for the first time?

–   It would be impossible to overemphasize the importance of having strong institutional affiliations- I have been incredibly lucky in my associations with both HSE and Kazan (Volga) Federal University. Such affiliations are essential for gaining access to the researchers and intellectuals who can give you vital insight into your project, as they indicate that you are a serious scholar. At the same time, in my experience many people are very excited to discuss their work with you as a foreign scholar; I have had nothing but positive experiences discussing research with Russian scholars, especially in the regions.

     As a side note, I very much recommend spending time outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg: Russia is a truly diverse country, and I believe having a sense of this diversity—which can really only be gained through first-hand experiences—will greatly enrich your project, whatever it may be.