The transition to liberal democracy and market economy in Latvia after the breakdown of the Soviet regime was related to an increase in ethnic minority non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Drawing on the results of in-depth interviews with leaders and the analysis of the statutes of ethnic minority NGOs, the study presented here compares the goals of the foundation of ethnic minority NGOs in 1993 and 2003 in relation to historical opportunity structures that have made their institutionalization possible. Following Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction, the study reveals distinctive goal priorities among the older and more recently registered organizations.1
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