Formation of Russian identity in the North Caucasus: Institutional and sociocultural framework

Abstract

Identification processes take place in a specific political and sociocultural environment, which limits the constructivist potential of political actors and affects the final result. The article presents the results of the research project “Institutional, Historical, and Cultural Framework of the Formation of All-Russian Identity in the North Caucasus,” aimed at identifying the institutional and socio-cultural conditions and factors of identity policy pursued by the Russian authorities in the North Caucasus. According to the results of empirical research, Russian identity in the North Caucasus is being built as a result of the interaction of all-Russian, ethnic, and confessional identities competing with each other. The expert survey and participant observation confirm and develop the conclusions that the identification sphere of the region carries the risks of conflicts caused by this competition. This assessment is confirmed by the analysis of documents on the regulation of ethno-confessional relations in federal subjects of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus. The ratio of the all-Russian and ethnocultural components in the documents defining the identity policy in the regions of the North Caucasus is equal, however, in certain areas of policy in five of the seven federal subjects, the priority of regulations that contribute to the institutionalization of ethnocultural identity is manifested. It is shown that symbolic resources in the process of the formation of the all-Russian identity in the North Caucasus are used inefficiently. The conclusion is made about the necessity of strengthening the all-Russian vector in the identity policy in the North Caucasus.