ABSTRACT
This chapter explores politics and identity shifts the emphasis from the binary pole of essence and construct, which characterises the dominant interpretations of identity, to the notion of human experience. It is argued that this is fundamental for understanding post-Soviet political identity formation. The chapter hermeneutically inquires into the forms of political practice, instead of concentrating on power relations, in an attempt to uncover the source of the emerging post-Soviet epistemology, in which the new political "self" is articulated. It describes identity formation, critically challenges the notion at the epistemological and political level via analysing the real political outcomes and anthropological premises of these identity formation processes. In political sciences, one can find different types of critique and analysis of the post-Soviet identity politics. Probably the most interesting approach to analysing the transitional processes, which also involves an intention to "understand" the experience in the post-Soviet world, is that of post-colonialism.
