Pål Kolstø Bücher

Exploring the interplay between discourse and conflict outcomes, this book delves into the under-researched area of how language influences both violent and non-violent results in ethnic conflicts. By integrating theories on identity construction and discourse analysis, it offers a thorough examination of the former Yugoslav countries, providing a nuanced understanding of the role of discourse in shaping conflict dynamics. This comprehensive study aims to fill a significant gap in existing literature, making it a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners alike.

Lev Tolstoi, one of the world's most famous writers, was also a religious thinker and influential critic of the Orthodox Church. This book offers a new account of his relationship with the Church, showing how most of his main ideas drew on his Christian heritage – a radical reinterpretation of the faith he encountered in his own life.

"Our research project organised a capstone conference at Tallinn University 28-29 April 2016, and most of the chapters in the current volume were first presented as papers at that conference."--Page xvii.

Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 marked a watershed in post-Cold War European history and brought East-West relations to a low. At the same time, by selling this fateful action in starkly nationalist language, the Putin regime achieved record-high popularity.This book shows how, after the large-scale 2011-13 anti-Putin demonstrations in major Russian cities and the parallel rise in xenophobia related to the Kremlin's perceived inability to deal with the influx of Central Asian labour migrants, the annexation of Crimea generated strong 'rallying around the nation' and 'rallying around the leader' effects.The contributors to this collection go beyond the news headlines to focus on overlooked aspects of Russian society such as intellectual racism and growing xenophobia. These developments are contextualised with an overview of Russian nationalism: state-led, grassroots and the tensions between the two.