I. G. Napalkova, A. S. Soldatova, K. V. Kurochkina. Specifics of the Development of the Ethno-National Space of Modern Russia as a Factor in Nation Building: A Strategic Situational Analysis

UDK 323.1(470+571)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.109.027.201904.734-755

Introduction. In Russia, the problem of interaction and search for balance in the ‘center – periphery’ system is considered to be common and is an impulse to socio-economic differentiation. However, no less important is the factor in multi-ethnicity, which organizes the space of Russia into a set of interconnected individual locations associated with certain ethnic groups. Features of the ethno-national space largely determine the (in)stability of the development of the state, which increases relevance of research in this field. The objective of this piece of research is to analyze the specifics of development and the potential of the ethno-national space of modern Russia as a factor in nation building.

Materials and Methods. Strategic situational analysis (the SWOT analysis technique) was used as the main method, which makes it possible to consider the subject field, relying on factors that capture the dynamics of the current situation.

Results. The authors have identified the historical and genetic, legal, institutional, managerial, programmatic, ethno-mental and other factors that comprehensively characterize the modern ethno-national space of Russia as a complex system that translates the essence and nature of the relationship between ethnic groups within the state. The identified factors have been evaluated in terms of strengths or weaknesses, opportunities or threats. A SWOT matrix has been developed, stating the prevalence of weaknesses and threats; in accordance with this matrix, development risks that can accelerate negative ethno-national processes have been identified.

Discussion and Conclusion. On the whole, the ethno-national space of Russia has a contrasting nature: some factors simultaneously relate to both the strengths and weaknesses of the SWOT matrix. There has been a decrease in the acuteness of ethno-national problems in society as well as a reduction in the proneness to conflict and interethnic discord. The main conflicts and protests have been localized within the socio-political sphere, the electoral issues being their catalyst currently. The results of the study can be used by state executive and administrative bodies to improve the ethno-national sphere, to adjust certain areas of ethno-national policies and spatial development in the context of nation building.

Keywords: ethno-national space, Russia, nation building, socio-nations, interethnic integration, ethnic conflict, national and civil identity, SWOT analysis

Funding. The study was carried out with the financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project “Spatial Development of Russia as a Factor in Nation Building and the Formation of the National Idea”, No. 18-011-00364 A.

REFERENCES

1. Napalkova I.G., Soldatova A.S. Ethno-National Space of Contemporary Russia: Specific Development and Management Capacity. Ars Administrandi. 2014; (1):48-60. Available at: http://ars-administrandi.com/article/Napalkova_Soldatova_2014_1.pdf (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

2. Tishkov V.A. Language Situation and Language Policy in Russia (Revising Categories and Practices). Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya = Policy. Political Research. 2019; (3):127-144. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2019.03.08

3. Meyer C. Ethnomethodology’s Culture. Human Studies. 2019; 42(2):281-303. (In Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-019-09515-5

4. Tezic M.C. The Concepts of Ethnos, Ethnichnost’ and Ethnicity in Russian and Western Scholarship. Novye issledovaniya Tuvy = New Research of Tuva. 2016; (2):199-210. Available at: https://www.tuva.asia/journal/issue_30/8682-tezich.html (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

5. Turaev V.A. National Idea as the Meaning of Life and Strategy of Development of Ethnic Community. Rossiya i АTR = Russia and the Pacific. 2010; (2):154-160. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=15219223 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

6. Fabrykant M.S. Value of (Expla) Nation: Testing Modernist Theories of Nationalism. Zhurnal Sibirskogo federalnogo universiteta. Gumanitarnye nauki = Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2013; 6(11):1656-1672. Available at: http://journal.sfu-kras.ru/article/10106 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Eng.)

7. Letnyakov D.E. Nation-Building: Identity Policies in Post-Soviet States. Mir Rossii. Sotsiologiya. Ehtnologiya = Universe Of Russia. Sociology. Ethnology. 2016; 25(2):144-167. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=26283969 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

8. Costa Buranelli F. World Society as a Shared Ethnos and the Limits of World Society in Central Asia. International Politics. 2018; 55:57-72. (In Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-017-0064-6

9. Lapkin V.V. Problems of Nation Building in Multi-ethnic Post-Soviet Societies: Ukrainian Case in Comparative Perspective. Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya = ​​ Policy. Political Research. 2016; (4):54-64. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2016.04.06

10. Bakhlov I.V., Bakhlova O.V. Fundamentals of the Ideology of Nation Building in Modern Russia: The Approaches of Political Parties. Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaya seriya. Seriya Sotsiologiya. Politologiya = Izvestia of Saratov University. New Series. Series: Sociology. Politology. 2018; 18(3):354-362.
(In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.18500/1818-9601-2018-18-3-354-362

11. Kuropatkina O.V. The Role of Religion in Modern Russian Nation Building. Problemnyj analiz i gosudarstvenno-upravlencheskoe proektirovanie =Problem Analysis and Public Administration Projection. 2014; 7(1):26-38. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=21480166 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

12. Maksimova O.N. Ethnic Identity as the Demarcation of the Sociopolitical Space. Sovremennoe obshhestvo i vlast = Modern Society and Power. 2018; (3):46-57. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=36511880 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

13. Sadovaya E.S. Socio-Economic Factors of Ethnopolitical Conflict. Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya = Policy. Political Research. 2016; (4):41-53. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2016.04.05

14. Tkachenko A.G. The Strengthening of Russian National Identity as a Counteraction to Radical Nationalism. Vestnik Аkademii ehkonomicheskoj bezopasnosti MVD Rossii = Bulletin of the Academy of Economic Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. 2015; (6):70-74. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=24211106 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

15. Gorshkov M.K., Tyurina I.O. Synthesis of Ethnic and Civil as a Basis for The Russian Identity. Vestnik RUDN. Seriya: Sotsiologiya = RUDN Journal of Sociology. 2018; (1):44-57. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22363/2313-2272-2018-18-1-44-57

16. Dolgaeva E.I. Interpretation of the Factors of the All-Russian National and Civil Identity by the Inhabitants of a Multiethnic Region. Regionologiya = Regionology. 2018; 26(1):123-140. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.102.026.201801.123-140

17. Pushkareva G.V. Ideas and Values as a Method of Constructing Symbolic Space of the National Identity. Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya = Policy. Political Research. 2017; (5):156-173. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2017.05.11

18. Soldatova A.S., Shirmanov E.V. National, Ethnic and Regional Identities of Inhabitants of Mordovia (Based on Applied Research). Ars Administrandi. 2015; (1):51-60. Available at: http://ars-administrandi.com/abstracts.php?id=441 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

19. Zaykov K.S., Tamitskiy A.M., Zadorin M.Yu. The Basics of Ethno-National Policy on the Example of the Russian Federation. Federalizm = Federalism. 2016; (3):145-158. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=27339772 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

20. Tolkunov N.S. The Role of Ethno-Politics in the Formation of the Russian Civil Nation. Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaya seriya. Seriya Sotsiologiya. Politologiya = Izvestia of Saratov University. New Series. Series: Sociology. Politology. 2018; 18(4):474-478. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.18500/1818-9601-2018-18-4-474-478

21. Posukhova O.Yu., Serikov A.V. Russian National Policy in Assessment and Perception of South-Russian Region Population. Vlast = Power. 2017; (8):143-150. Available at: https://www.jour.isras.ru/index.php/vlast/article/view/5339 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

22. Minchuk O.V. Ethnonational Policy of the Komi Republic: Normative and Infrastructural Support. Аrktika i Sever = Arctic and North. 2016; (25):134-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17238/issn2221-2698.2016.25.137

23. Madyukova S.A., Persidskaya O.A. Ethnonational Policy in Republic of Altai. Sibirskij filosofskij zhurnal = Siberian Journal of Philosophy. 2016; (1):120-134. Available at: https://nsu.ru/sibphil/2016.1 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

24. Popkov Yu.V. Regional Features of Ethnonational Policy. Novye issledovaniya Tuvy = New Research of Tuva. 2013; (4):9-28. Available at: https://nit.tuva.asia/nit/article/view/195 (accessed 10.09.2019). (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

Submitted 10.09.2019; accepted for publication 18.10.2019; published online 30.12.2019.

About the authors:

Irina G. Napalkova, Associate Professor, Department of World History, Political Science and Regional Studies, National Research Mordovia State University (68/1 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russia), Ph. D. (History), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3896-1600, zamisi@yandex.ru

Anna S. Soldatova, Research Assistant, Center for Science and Education ‘Political Analysis of Territorial Systems’, National Research Mordovia State University (68/1 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russia), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0247-1917, anasoldatova@mail.ru

Ksenia V. Kurochkina, Political Scientist; Master’s Degree Student, Department of World History, Political Science and Regional Studies; Research Officer, Center for Science and Education ‘Political Analysis of Territorial Systems’, National Research Mordovia State University (68/1 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russia), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6993-4766, ksen.kurochckina2017@yandex.ru

Contribution of the authors:

Irina G. Napalkova – academic supervision; putting forward the basic idea of the study; substantiation of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the study; critical analysis; drawing conclusions; writing the article.

Anna S. Soldatova – development of theoretical and methodological foundations of the study; data collection and processing; writing the article.

Ksenia V. Kurochkina – search for analytical materials; analysis of statistical and factual material; preparation of the initial version of the text.

For citation:

Napalkova I.G., Soldatova A.S., Kurochkina K.V. Specifics of the Development of the Ethno-National Space of Modern Russia as a Factor in Nation Building: A Strategic Situational Analysis. Regionology = Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2019; 27(4):734-755. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.109.027.201904.734-755

The authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
To download article

Лицензия Creative Commons
All the materials of the "REGIONOLOGY" journal are available under Creative Commons «Attribution» 4.0