G. D. Gritsenko. Social Construction of All-Russian Identity in the North Caucasus: Status and Prospects

doi: 10.15507/2413-1407.128.032.202403.446-462

UDК 323.21(470.6)

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the issues under study, which is due to the need to strengthen the all-Russian identity in the multi-ethnic North Caucasian community in the context of a sharp aggravation of geopolitical contradictions. The purpose of the article is formulated – on the basis of empirical material, to determine the specifics of the manifestation of macrosocial identity in the life of the population of the North Caucasus Federal District and to identify opportunities for further construction of an all-Russian identity in the North Caucasus region.

Materials and Methods. The section identifies the sources of the empirical base of all subjects of the Russian Federation that form the North Caucasus Federal District, the main of which are regional regulatory legal acts, scientific articles in journals that are freely available in the RSCI, and expert opinion obtained during an expert survey. The use of methodical triangulation (content analysis, discourse analysis and semi-structured expert interviews) made it possible to highlight different aspects of the process of forming a macrosocial identity, making the research picture more voluminous and complete. The heuristic value of the results obtained through this triangulation was manifested in clarifying the structure of the macrosocial identity of the North Caucasian society and fixing the priority of ethnic and partially religious identities.

Results. It is substantiated that for studying the problems of constructing an all-Russian identity in the subjects of the federation that are part of the North Caucasus Federal District, the most optimal is the analytical model of identity proposed by M.V. Nazukina and includes three main levels of identity policy implementation on a regional scale: normative, narrative-mythological and symbolic. The current stage of the formation of macrosocial identity in the North Caucasus is characterized at all three levels by a certain priority of ethnic identity, which is enhanced by confessional identity.

Discussion and Сonclusion. Based on the results of scientific analysis, it was concluded that
a relative balance has developed in the North Caucasus between the all-Russian and ethnic components of macrosocial identity with a partial predominance of ethno-confessional. Analytical material may be of interest to scientific teams studying the problems of humanitarian security in the North Caucasus; structures interested in strengthening ethnopolitical unity in the region on the basis of all-Russian values. The main results and conclusions of the work can be useful for the media, various cultural and educational institutions in organizing and conducting educational work among the population of the region, including youth.

Keywords: North Caucasus, social construction of all-Russian identity, normative, narrative-mythological, symbolic levels of identity politics, ethnic identity construction

Conflict of interest. The author declares no conflict of interest.

Funding. The article was prepared within the framework of the state assignment of the Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (no. 122020100306-9).

For citation: Gritsenko G.D. Social Construction of All-Russian Identity in the North Caucasus: Status and Prospects. Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2024;32(3):446–462. https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.128.032.202403.446-462

REFERENCES

1. Avksentiev V.A., Aksyumov B.V., Gritsenko G.D., Ivanova S.Yu., Shulga M.M. Formation of Russian Identity in the North Caucasus: Institutional and Sociocultural Framework. Political Expertise: POLITEX. 2022;18(1):72–86. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) http://doi.org/10.21638/spbu23.2022.105
2. Avksentiev V.A., Aksyumov B.V., Gritsenko G.D., Ivanova S.Yu., Shulga M.M. All-Russian Identity in the North Caucasus: Expert Assessment. Bulletin of Perm University. Political Science. 2022;16(1):115–124. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.17072/2218-1067-2022-1-115-124
3. Brunila К., Rossi L.-M. Identity Politics, the Ethos of Vulnerability, and Education. Educational Philosophy and Theory. 2018;50(3):287–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2017.1343115
4. Bеland D. Identity, Politics, and Public Policy. Critical Policy Studies. 2016;11(1):1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2016.1159140
5. Wald N. Bridging Identity Divides in Current Rural Social Mobilization. Identities. Global Studies in Culture and Power. 2013;20(5):598–615. https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2013.819001
6. Klandermans P.G. Identity Politics and Politicized Identities: Identity Processes and the Dynamics of Protest. Political Psychology. 2014;35(1):1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/POPS.12167
7. Orjuela C. Corruption and Identity Politics in Divided Societies. Third World Quarterly. 2014;35(5):753–769. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2014.921426
8. Semenenko I.S. Identity Politics and Identities in Politics: Interethnic Perspectives in a European Context. Polis. Political Studies. 2016;(4):8–28. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2016.04.03
9. Semenenko I.S. Political Identity and Identity Politics. Political Expertise. POLITEX. 2011;7(2):5‒24. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) EDN: ONHDON
10. Tishkov V.A. Russia’s Identity: Grand Challenges. Vestnik Rossiyskoy akademii nauk. 2019;89(4):408–412. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.31857/S0869-5873894408-412
11. Pain E.A., Fedyunin S.Yu. The Problems of the Civil Nation in Russia and in the West: General and Special. Political Conceptology. 2018;(1):171–191. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.23683/2218-5518.2018.1.171191
12. Drobizheva L.M., Ryzhova S.V. All-Russian Identity in the Sociological Dimension. Bulletin of Russian Nation. 2021;(1-2):39–52. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) Available at: http://rosnation.ru/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/%D0%92%D0%A0%D0%9D-2021-%E2%84%96-1.pdf (accessed 13.03.2024).
13. Erokhin A.M., Vorobev S.M., Avdeev E.A. Ethnopolitical Processes in the Caucasus: Identity Conflict and Political Activity of Youth. Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations. 2021;26(5):112–125. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2021.5.9
14. Volkov Yu.G., Kurbatov V.I. Hybrid Identity: Factors of Formation and Forms of Manifestation. Humanities of the South of Russia. 2022;11(2):15‒26. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.18522/2227-8656.2022.2.1
15. Klimenko L.V., Zhade Z.A., Petrulevich I.A. Identity of the Population of the Multiethnic South of Russia in the Context of Societal Integration of the Macroregion. Central Asia and the Caucasus. 2021;22(3):136–146. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) Available at: https://ca-c.org.ru/journal/2021/journal_rus/cac-03/11.shtml (accessed 13.03.2024).
16. Shadzhe A.Yu. Youth Identity in the Interdisciplinary Paradigm. Sotsialno-gumanitarnye znaniya. 2022;(2):172–180. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.34823/SGZ.2022.2.51782
17. Kireeva I.V., Kukva E.S., Lyausheva S.A. Regional Identity Policy in the Republic of Adygea and Krasnodar Region (Based on Focus-Group Discussion). Humanities of the South of Russia. 2023;12(1):189–201. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.18522/2227-8656.2023.1.14
18. Nazukina M.V. The Institutionalization of Ethnicity in the Identity Policy of Russian Republics: Conceptual Analysis. Polis. Political Studies. 2020;(3):78–92. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2020.03.06
19. Nazukina M.V. Markers of Ethnicity in the Regional Identity of Russia’s Republics. Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2018;26(4):698–717. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.105.026.201804.698-717
20. Bernstein M. Identity Politics. Annual Review of Sociology. 2005;31:47–74. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.29.010202.100054
21. Brunila К., Rossi L.-M. Identity Politics, the Ethos of Vulnerability, and Education.
    Educational Philosophy and Theory. 2017;50(3):287–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2017.1343115
22. Wodak R., de Cillia R., Reisigl M. The Discursive Construction of National Identity. Discourse and Society. 1999;10(2):149–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926599010002002
23. Johnson C., Coleman A. The Internal Other: Exploring the Dialectical Relationship between Regional Exclusion and the Construction of National Identity. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 2012;102(4):863–880. https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2011.602934
24. Pushkareva G.V. Ideas and Values as a Method of Constructing Symbolic Space of the National Identity. Polis. Political Studies. 2017;(5):156–173. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2017.05.11
25. Pedersen D., Kienzler H. Ethnic Conflict and Public Health. International Encyclopedia of Public Health. 2017;2:36–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012373960-5.00391-9
26. Semenova Yu.A. [Formation of Civil Identity in the Conditions of Modern Russian Society]. Bulletin of Chelyabinsk State University. Philosophy Sciences. 2010;(1):104‒108. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/formirovanie-grazhdanskoy-identichnosti-v-usloviyah-sovremennogo-rossiyskogo-obschestva/viewer (accessed 13.03.2024).
27. Faizullin F.S., Faizullin T.F. Ethnicity and Ethno-National Potential of the Development of Society. Vestnik VEGU. 2014;(4):140–147. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) Available at: https:// cyberleninka.ru/article/n/etnichnost-kak-sotsialnyy-potentsial-razvitiya-obschestva/viewer (accessed 13.03.2024).
28. Giddens E. [What Will Be Tomorrow: Fundamentalism or Solidarity]. Otechestvennye zapiski. 2003;(1). (In Russ.) Available at: https://magazines.gorky.media/oz/2003/1/chto-zavtra-fundamentalizm-ili-solidarnost.html (accessed 13.03.2024).
29. Abdulatipov R.G., Mikhailov V.A. Federal Democracy and the Multinational Country Unity. Public and Private Law. 2014;(3):7–18. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) EDN: TBVVJD

About the author:

Galina D. Gritsenko, Dr.Sci. (Philos.), Professor, Chief Researcher, Federal Research Centre The Southern Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (41 Chekhov Ave., Rostov-on-Don 41344006, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8281-7409, Researcher ID: AAC-7640-2022, Scopus ID: 23975990100, dissovet@rambler.ru

Availability of data and materials. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the author on reasonable request.

The author has read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 13.06.2023; revised 28.08.2023; accepted 12.09.2023.