Towards an Estonian Ideology:Debates among Estonians Abroad in the 1970sThe goal of this article is to trace articulations of Estonian ideologyin the 1970s among Estonians abroad. The term Estonian ideology isfar from monolithic; political scientist and Estonian diaspora scholarKarl Aun (1914–1995) carefully redefined it in 1979 in counterpointto the large number of „action programs“ and prognoses of the futureof Estonia as proposed in the mid-1970s by younger, radical diasporaintellectuals. These in turn responded to the most divisive politicalissue since the mid-1960s – the problem of visiting the homeland andentertaining cultural figures and other official visitors from SovietEstonia. Aun's article in the new periodical Aja Kiri, which beganpublication in Toronto in 1976 should be seen less as a contributionto the polemic around „communicating with the homeland“ andrather in relation to preceding debates in the periodical Vaba Eesti(1951–1964). Both periodicals sought and assumed an internationalaudience of Estonians.The first part of the article contextualizes and outlines Aun`s rhetoricalstrategy in defining „estology“ and the historical questions heraised. In the second part, the intellectual background and politicalformation of the readership of Aja Kiri is examined. Finally, questionsfor further research on the intellectual history of the Estoniandiaspora are set forth alongside a brief review of the challenges ofworking with diaspora archives
