Juhan Saharov (University of Tartu)
The political discourse in the Soviet republics of Estonia and Lithuania experienced a significant conceptual shift from 1985 to 1989. Both republics crafted distinctive “peripheral perestroika” languages that challenged central authority in Moscow. Estonia’s strategy, led by social scientists, highlighted economic sovereignty through self-management (in Estonian, isemajandamine), while Lithuania concentrated on cultural revival and self-reordering (in Lithuanian, persitvarkymas). These linguistic innovations, characterised by the strategic use of “self” in both languages, reflected increasing demands for autonomy. This conceptual evolution moved from reformism to nationalism, culminating in both republics discarding Soviet frameworks in favour of independence-oriented languages.