ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the implications of the general trends in identities and attitudes of Latvia’s Russian-speakers for their likely reactions to the recent developments in the Latvian minority policy, particularly in the area of language regulation in education and elsewhere. The adoption of the new Law on Education in October 1998 and the new Law on the State Language in December 1999 aroused considerable controversy both at domestic and at international levels, the laws having been heavily criticized for their potential to serve as instruments of marginalization and discrimination. Considering that governmental attempts to regulate language usage, especially in the educational sphere, are often a source of conflict between the minority and the state, the question of whether the policies envisaged by the new Latvian legislation are likely to produce violent opposition appears legitimate.
