Sociocultural bases of the North Caucasus student youth identity: Risks of conflict in inter-ethnic relations

Abstract

The article considers the sociocultural foundations of the Russian, ethnic, confessional and regional identity of the North Caucasus student youth. The influence of the formation and positivity of these identities on the nature of interethnic relations, the social distance between main ethno-confessional groups and the risks of conflicting identities is analyzed. The results of sociological survey in 2022 showed a high degree of severity and positivity of the sociocultural foundations of the Russian, ethnic and regional identity. Significant variability was found in the importance of emotional and psychological connection with the main social groups (ethnos, confession, country, region) varied from one ethnic group to another. These unifying sociocultural meanings-symbols occupy an important place in the structure of the Russian identity of young people. Among youth, attitudes towards interethnic harmony, tolerance, interaction and integration prevail. The social distance between students who identify themselves with the main ethno-confessional groups is insignificant. Respondents’ assessments confirm the trend towards depoliticization of ethnicity and a decrease in the conflict nature of the main macro- group identities. At the same time, the conflictogenic potential of the sociocultural foundations of young people’s self-awareness is preserved.