Katie L. Stewart. Legitimating Nationalism: Political Identity in Russia’s Ethnic Republics. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2024

Nationalism is one of those modular phenomena that take on various forms depending on the political or cultural context. Although there is no one approach to the study of nationalism, few would question the enduring relevance of its central function—that of legitimizing the established political order. This is clearly shown in Katie Stewart’s book, which goes beyond conventional studies of nation building in Western countries at the state level. It shifts the focus twice: by considering a non-Western, authoritarian, and multiethnic society—that is, Russia—and by moving beyond the Moscowcentric perspective to look at the (ethnic) periphery of the country. Text in English