The Social Representations of Soviet period in Latvian biographical discourse

Promocijas darba merkis ir demonstret, ka latviešu publiskais biografiskais diskurss pedejo 20 gadu laika ir ielogojis, atainojis un transformejis priekšstatus par padomju periodu un ka šo procesu ir iespaidojušas autobiografu kolektivas identitates. Petijuma konceptualo ietvaru veido socialo reprezentaciju teorija, kuru 60. gadu sakuma postuleja francu socialpsihologs Seržs Maskovici. Promocijas darba empiriska dala balstas uz tris datu avotiem: pecpadomju autobiografijas, laikrakstu publikacijas un intervijas ar pecpadomju autobiografiju izdevejiem. Biografiska diskursa analize parada, ka lidzas negativajam un pozitivajam padomju perioda socialajam reprezentacijam svariga loma ir bijusi pragmatiskajai reprezentacijai. Ta, neignorejot padomju režima pardarijumus, ir izgaismojusi autobiografu individualos un kolektivos sasniegumus. Atslegvardi: Socialo reprezentaciju teorija, kolektiva atmina, biografiskais diskurss, sociala komunikacija, tematiska analizeThe PhD thesis demonstrates how the Latvian public biographical discourse has framed and transformed the understanding of Soviet period over the last 20 years and how these processes were influenced by autobiographers’ collective identities. The conceptual framework of the study is derived from the social representations theory that was founded at the beginning of the 1960s by French social psychologist Serge Moscovici. The empirical part of the thesis is based on three datasets: autobiographies, newspaper articles, and interviews with publishers of post-Soviet autobiographies. The analysis of biographical discourse suggests that along with the positive or negative social representations of Soviet period an important role has been played by a pragmatic representation. This representation does not ignore humiliating conditions under the Soviets; however the pragmatic representation highlights autobiographers’ individual, as well as collective advancements during the Soviet era. Keywords: social representation theory, collective memory, biographical discourse, social communication, thematic analysi