Publications of Astrov, A.
The Janitor? Could be!
Prozorov, S. (2009). The ethics of postcommunism: History and social praxis in Russia. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
Estonia: Political Struggle for a Place in History?
The political outcome of “the historians’ dispute” on Estonian soil has been a temporary moratorium on the potentially fractious debate about the meaning of the two totalitarian regimes of the past. In practical terms, this moratorium is justified by the imperative of European stability, which in turn is indelibly linked to transatlantic consensus and Western support for Russian reforms. In the early 21stcentury, both of these foreign policy pillars have been somewhat weakened, and Estonian domesticpolitics has been thrown into crisis.
States of Sovereignty: "Nature," "Emergency," and "Exception" in the "Bronze Soldier" Crisis
The article provides the author's insights on the relocation of Bronze Soldier monument for Soviet soldiers in Tallinn, Estonia. It states that the relocation resulted from the Estonian government's aim to remove the monument from political control by reducing its public significance and shifting to private memorial. It mentions that the concept of the camp as an area where sovereign is practiced with uncommitted atrocities is similar to the situation of Russian-speaking noncitizens in Estonia.
On Looking Back
Title in Estonian: Tagasivaatamisest
Liturgy for the Bronze Soldier: History and Memory in the Shaping of a Crisis
The paper is centered around the recent crisis triggered by the Estonian government’s decision to remove from the city’s center the Soviet World War II monument, the “Bronze Soldier.” Since the decision led to the eruption of belligerent rhetoric in Russia and open violence in Tallinn, most of the media coverage, as well as immediate commentary, was in one way or another focused on interstate or interethnic relations. These relations, in turn, were presented as plagued by the insurmountable differences in the interpretations of history.Without denying the importance of the aforementioned aspects of the events, this paper highlights the crisis within Estonian society. It argues that the “Bronze soldier” is best seen as located in the contested zone of indistinction between historical consciousness and memory, while the contestation in question concerns the transformation of the mythical Estonian “nation” into a modern technocratic “society.” By drawing on Pierre Nora’s analysis of lieux de mémoire, the paper outlines the confrontation between Estonian nationalists and increasingly technocratic governments, placing this confrontation within the context of Estonia’s integration into the European Union.
On world politics : R.G. Collingwood, Michael Oakeshott, and Neotraditionalism in International Relations
Astrov draws upon the ideas of Oakeshott and Collingwood in order to theorize about the nature of world politics. For him, international society is understood as governing the relation of states in the absence of centralized global government and is thus understood as the complex of activities undertaken by individuals in association with others. The central themes of these activities are politics, poetry, civilization, and tradition, each of which is analyzed in a separate chapter before being synthesized into a neotraditionalist approach to international relations.
Who's Afraid of Deconstruction?: Post-Debatism and Beyond
Reviews the book "Handbook of International Relations," edited by Walter Carlsnaes, Thomas Risse and Beth A. Simmons.
Pondering Dramatic Endings, Probing Possible Beginnings; or Doing Politics as Usual?
Reviews three books on international relations. 'After Victory: Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order After Major Wars,' by G. John Ikenberry; 'Changing Games, Changing Strategies: Critical Investigations in Security,' by Karin M. Fierke; 'Pondering Postinternationalism: A Paradigm for the Twenty-First Century,' edited by Heidi H. Hobbs.
War, Peace and World Orders in European history
This article reviews the book 'War, Peace and World Orders in European History,' edited by Anja V. Hartmann and Beatrice Heuser.