Scholar Spotlight: Lelde Luika

Lelde Luika is a Postdoctoral Associate affiliated with the European Studies Council and Baltic Studies. She has previously held positions as a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES), Södertörn University in Sweden, a visiting researcher at KU Leuven, and guest lecturer at the Latvian Academy of Culture.

Tell us more about the path that brought you to Yale.

It was quite straightforward – I knew about the fellowship opportunity for the Baltic scholars at Yale already. After completing my post-doctoral position in Sweden at the Södertörn University last year, I applied and was happy to come here. Before that I did my doctoral degree in the University of Tartu, Estonia, and I also held a visiting scholarship at KU Leuven in Belgium. I have always been interested in expanding my research horizons at different universities and immersing myself in environments that are intellectually stimulating – which Yale, without a doubt, has been so far.

My research deals with devising new theoretical perspectives on democratic politics in East-Central Europe. While the leading debates in political theory rarely draw on this empirical context, being at Yale has been particularly valuable for joining these conversations and strengthening my own work in this regard.

What has your work as a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale entailed?

Thus far, I have worked on two research articles, one of which deals with the subject of my talk, and the other which critically assesses the teleological democratisation paradigm that has dominated postsocialist studies. So, it has involved a lot of independent research, which I try to combine with attending talks and other academic events.

You're about to give a presentation called "Claiming MyVoice: Prefigurative Politics and Democratic Activism in Eastern Europe." Can you tell us what "prefigurative" politics means in this context? And what is "MyVoice?"

Prefiguration deals with capturing visions of how alternatives to present political orders would look like – a lot of research in this direction was inspired by the activism after the 2008 economic crisis, such as the Occupy Wall Street or the Indignados movement in Spain. So, prefiguration is often associated with people gathering in streets and squares, creating autonomous ways of debating and making decisions in contrast to the highly inaccessible model of the political system above them.

Because of the nature of these protests, prefigurative politics has really never been associated with Eastern Europe, where a more defining characteristic is the uncritical acceptance of liberal democracy. I, however, argue that post-recession protests still opened space for democratic inventiveness in the region, which is the case of MyVoice (ManaBalss) in Latvia. It is an internet platform that allows for citizens to submit collective policy proposals and that was created by two activists in 2011. It is still active and very popular today. Usually, similar platforms are operated by the government, but MyVoice continues to be one of the main ways for grassroots activism to organise and manifest in the country. To understand its role, we also need to expand our understanding of prefiguration as associated not only with particular contexts of the Western Left, but as a broader process of democratic self-invention.

What was the inspiration for this research? 

I think post-recession movements generally make an interesting moment in the recent history. It appears as one of the last truly optimistic periods of thinking about democracy and how it could be transformed, not only scholarly, but in a broader public consciousness. It is fair to have critical discussion about this period, as, for instance, Vincent Bevins does in the book If We Burn. But it would be important to not lose vitality and creative energy that characterised this period, without which it is difficult to keep motivation to seek change and not remain apathetic. Prefigurative politics in this sense is an important concept, as it brings out not (only) completely alternative modes of government, but reclaiming of common public space, and using it for collective thinking about what we want from politics.

You're currently developing a book project, can you tell us anything about that?

The aim is to transform my doctoral dissertation in a book manuscript. In the dissertation, I analysed suspicion of political representation in Latvia from radical democratic perspectives as opposed to liberal transition and nationalism frameworks it has usually been placed in.  

What has been a highlight of your time at Yale so far, and what's one thing you're looking forward to here?

Certainly, a big highlight is the possibility to engage with an inspiring community of scholars and thinkers. I have used this opportunity not only in Yale but also visited Columbia and Harvard universities. It has been nice to spend time in the Sterling library and visit New York. In New Haven, me and my fellow Baltic post-doc Marija live in East Rock and it is a wonderful area for longer walks.
While we do have chilly winters and springs in the Baltics, it still has been a very long cold season this year, so I am very much looking forward for days when it is possible to rest in one of the green areas around the campus.