Desire and Modesty in Post-Soviet Expectation for the Western Standard of Life: Contrasting and Empowering Narratives of Latvian Emigrants and Latvians who Stayed at Home

Abstract

Post-Soviet subjects have often been portrayed as ‘winners’ or ‘losers’ of post-Soviet transformations, where those socioeconomically successful are seen as winners while the socioeconomically weak are losers. Such language of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ carry neoliberal scripts of success, which are based on the western upper-middle-class standard. The ideas of neoliberalism also dictated the post-Soviet transformations in Latvia. From the perspective of meaning-making and emotion, this research seeks to complicate the dominant narrative of winners and losers to describe the effects of the post-Soviet transformations. Empirically, this study compares narratives of post-Soviet Latvian émigrés towards the West with those who remain to unravel deeper understandings of success as related to our perceptions of ‘livable life.’ Emigration tends to be narrated as a story of winning since it allows fulfilling expectations and desires for a ‘livable life’ migrants could not fulfill at home. However, those who remain at home, even under precarious circumstances, share their experiences as winners’ stories. While emigrants in their search for ‘livable life’ follow the western standard of good life, those at home speak of ‘livable life’ in terms of modesty. I interpret both stories as empowerment narratives that are interchangeable and coexistent.