Presentation given at the expert seminar: New era in integration policies in the Baltic Sea Countries? Tallinn, Estonia, 25.2.2013

1. Integration policies and
acculturation in Estonian society
in last two decades
New era in integration policies in the Baltic
Sea countries?
Tallinn 25.02.2013
Aune Valk

2. Plan
• Some statistics
• Quick overview of last two decades in Estonia,
incl integration strategies
• Problems of interethnic relations in Estonia in
my view

3. Sources
• Pettai, V., Hallik, K. (2002). Understanding
processes of ethnic control: segmentation,
dependency and co-optation in post-communist
Estonia. Nations and Nationalism 8 (4), 505-529.
• Vetik, R. (2007). Eesti ühiskonna
integratsiooniprogrammi 2008-2013
üldideoloogia kontseptuaalne põhjendamine.
• Statistics Estonia (2009). Immigrant population in
Estonia

4. Estonian population by ethnic self-
identification, 2011 census
84% are Estonian citizens, 7% Russian
citizens, 7% undefined citizens

5. Estonians (darker green) and other
nationalities in Estonia 1897-2010
http://www.stat.ee/, slide by Ene Saar

6. Citizenship 1992-2011
Statistics Estonia, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Office of Citizenshi p and Migration

7. Share of immigrant population across counties,
2008

8. What has happened in Estonia
regarding acculturation since 1990
• Restoration of the pre-IIWW state in 1991
• Most Russian-speakers were immigrants 1944-
1990 and did not obtain automatically citizenship
• Estonia chose very radical reform-way that was
most difficult for older people, people in
countryside and Russian-speakers
• Segmentation, (economic) dependency and co-
optation of Russian minority (Pettai, Hallik, 2002;
Lustic 1980)
• First integration strategy 2000-2007 (initiated in
1998 with the title „integration of non-Estonians
into Estonian society“)

9. Cont.
• Around 2000: fighting, closed, threatened Estonian
identity and open but unclear-diffused Russian
identity
• 2000-2010: EU, NATO, economic growth, new
generation: opening up of Estonian identity; new
disappointed generation of Russian-speakers and
globally integrated (individually oriented) Estonian-
Russians (1/3)
• Integration strategy 2007-2013: balanced,
multicultural, …. But actions are still one-sided
(language-learning and citizenship), Estonians do
not see their role

10. By the end of the first decade of 21 cent
• Estonians (65%) are continuosly more
disturbed by the different behaviour and
lifestyle of Russians than vv (25%)
• Russian-speakers trust less
– State – 36% (Estonian 66%)
– mainly government, parlament, president

11. 1998-1999 first integration statements
by Parlament and government
State programme `The integration of non-Estonians
into Estonian society‘ 1998
3 central concepts:
•an individual-centred approach,
•a common societal core and
•an Estonian cultural predominance.
„the essence of the State Programme is none the
less to integrate non-Estonians into an Estonian-
dominant state and society. In this respect, it is
meant to adapt non-Estonians to a pre-set Estonian
world, not to alter that world.“ (Pettai, Hallik, 2002)

12. 2000: Integration in Estonian society
2000-2007
• ‘Estonian version of multiculturalism’:
– Cultural pluralism (but ethnic differences are private
matter)
– Strong shared common sphere (common democratic
and humanistic values, shared information, but also
sharing Estonian language, knowing Estonian history,
acknowledging Estonian multicultural society
– Need to preserve Estonian culture
• Integration is two-sided
• Concentrated on education, language, culture

13. Priorities of the integration policy (Int
Monitoring 2008)
Estonians % Russian-speakers %
Knowledge of Estonian language 57 Compliance with the principle of 58
equal treatment
Transition to partial teaching of 33 Equal socio-economic 57
subjects in Estonian in Russian- opprtunities and welfare to non-
medium schools Estonians and Estonians
Reducing the number of persons 31 Increasing tolerance 57
with undetermined citizenship
Increasing tolerance 26 Reduction of separation between 49
information spheres
Compliance with the principle of 25 Representation and participation 49
equal treatment in public life

14. Integration strategy 2013-2000
• Language learning is seen as the main solution for
almost all problems but „taking into account
Estonian integration process, it is relevant to give
Russian speakers information in Russian.“
• Participation is low because of lack of language
skills not because of Estonian’s attitudes (but 25%
feel not welcome)
• First time measures directed to the whole society
(i.e. Estonians): tolerance, valuing cultural
pluralism
• Participation (in learning, employment) and
state/citizen’s identity are seen as aims.

15. Estonian policies
(compared to other European policies)
• concentrate on existing minorities not new
immigrants (vs Western-Europe)
• are specific – oriented to specific questions (vs
e.g Sweden)
• concentrate more on culture and language,
less on economic matters
• include less employers (vs Austria and
Denmark), NGOs (vs UK, Spain)
• stress similarly less the role of majority

16. Challenges of ethnic relations in Estonia:
problems of Estonians
• Looking globally there are no (major) problems. Is it
useful to for someone to keep the problems?
• Estonians feel culturally threatened
• Lack of tolerance is not considered a problem.
• Integration is seen as assimilation, perceived
assimilation pressure has contrary results

17. Challenges of ethnic relations in Estonia (cont):
problems related to multiculturalism
• Estonian reality is bicultural not multicultural, two
cultures (not just historical interests and state politics) are
seen as opposite, sometimes conflictual.
• Multiculturalism is understood in the public discourse as
anti-Estonian political correctness coming from Europe
• Positive multicultural (Estonian-Russian) identity is not
common.
• Estonian national/state identity is highly related to
Estonian ethnic identity, it is difficult to become an
Estonian/ State identity means different thing for
different groups.

18. Directionality of acculturation: who
changes?
• According to its original definition (Redfield et
al. 1936: 149), acculturation is a two-sided
process that refers to the “changes in the
original culture patterns of either or both
groups”.
• Majority’s role in acculturation
– to change oneself/ one’s identity
– to influence with attitudes: assimilative,
multicultural, segregative, …

19. Cross-cultural Intercultural Multicultural
1 nation – 1 culture 1 group – 1 culture– 1 person – multiple
– 1 language 1 “native” language cultures/
languages
Cultures/ Cultures/ Cultures/
languages meet at languages meet at languages meet in
political boundaries social boundaries individuals
“foreign” language “second” lg. “minority” vs
teaching teaching, “sensitivity “standard” lg; lg for
training” special purposes
Communication vs Communication vs Communication
non-communication miscommunication always partial
E.g. Kaplan, 1966 Scollon&Scollon, Johnstone&Bean,
1981 1997
By Barbara Johnstone

20. Multiculturalism on an individual level
In Your opinion, is it possible to belong to several ethnic
groups at the same time? % of yes answers
RussiansEstonian-Russians Estonians
75 92 73

21. National identity means different
things for different groups
• Multicultural national identity (MNI) Valuing
multiculturalism (both on group and personal level) in
Estonia. Statements like:
– It does not disturb me that people of different ethnic origins live
in Estonia. (group level)
– In my opinion someone cannot be simultaneously a
representative of Estonian and of some other culture. (R)
(individual level)
• National pride (NP) - feeling pride and connection to
Estonian state, land and people. Statements like:
– For me it is / it would be important to be an Estonian citizen.
– I am proud that Estonia is known as a successful small country.

22. Means for national identity,
correlations of ethnic pride (EP) to national pride
(NP) and multicultural national identity (MNI)
Ethnic Ethnic t-value Self-cat Self-cat t-value
Estonia Russians as as
ns Russian Russian-
Estonian
Means
Nation pride 1.20 0.23 27.80*** 0.04 0.59 8.28***
Multic nat ID 0.67 1.12 -13.08*** 1.01 1.29 5.35***
Correlations
NP-EP .66*** .08 .07 .17*
MNI-EP -.00 .28*** .36*** .26***

23. Future, new norm?

24. Report to the European Council ’Diversity and
Cohesion, New Challenges for the Integration of
Immigrants and Minorities’ (J. Niessen 2004)
• Valuing diversity
• Solidarity (why we have immigration)
• Good government (inclusion of different
groups)
• Multiple memberships/identities

25. Some ideas for (Estonian) future
• Early contacts (and language learning) in
kindergarten
• Multiple identities, building positive merged/dual
identities
• Individualist approach: If people prefer to identify
themselves neither with an immigrant group nor
the host majority, there should still be another
alternative to marginalization –individualist
approach.
• Language/culture learning due to inclusion not vv
= less stress=less culture conflict