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ABSTRACT
This article discusses how national identity in Russia is understood by the public and among experts who study ethnic issues. The author separates the notion of national identity into categorical identity and associative identity (i.e., the consolidating type of identity which is based on a strong feeling of connection with other citizens). The latter type of identity is present only among a third of people who identify themselves as Russian. The author further analyzes the connection of this type of identity with inter-ethnic negativism. She finds that national identity does not remove bias toward abstract “others.” However, it affects direct inter-ethnic communication in the labor and family spheres. The positive impact of national identity on inter-ethnic attitudes is more apparent in the Astrakhan region, which has longer experience of inter-ethnic communication. It is argued that one obstacle to national identity having a positive impact on inter-ethnic attitudes is the lack of a clear and consistent understanding of national identity among education experts, social scientists, and journalists. The study utilizes data from Wave 24 of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey conducted by the Institute of Sociology (“The dynamics of social transformation of modern Russia in the socioeconomic, political, sociocultural, and ethno-confessional contexts,” Wave 4) and several separate regional polls conducted by the Department of Ethno-sociology of the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences between 2014 and 2016.
Notes
1. There are different opinions about whether this dislike (i.e., negative identity) binds or destroys integration of society (Gudkov Citation2004).
2. In particular, it was established that a movement toward equal status contact aggravates competition and even (if it actually is absent, but there is an idea of it) raises the level of ethnic negativism (Drobizheva Citation2002).
3. Hodson and Hewston (Citation2013, p. 6) calculated that from 2006 to 2010 around 300 works were published on the theory of contact.
4. In Citation2015 and Citation2016 as part of the 2th wave of RLMS-HSE (http://www.hse.ru/nlms); selection of 15,118 respondents in 39 regions of the Russian Federation. For the model of the selection see https://www.hse.ru/rlsm/sample/. The question in the study under the supervision of M.F. Chernysh was included on the initiative of the author of this article.
5. The project “Dynamic of social transformation of modern Russia in socio-economic, political, socio-cultural and ethno-regional contexts” under the supervision of Professor M.K. Gorshkov: total selection of 4,000 respondents in 49 regions of the Russian Federation.
6. RNF project No. 14-18-01963 under the supervision of L.M. Drobizheva, realized in Moscow, the Moscow, Astrakhan, and Kaliningrad Oblasts, the Republics of Karelia, Sakha (Yakutia), and the Stavropol Krai. In each region of the Russian Federation, the representative selection included 999 to 1200 units of observation. Expert interviews were also used (52 people).
7. The difference with those not associating themselves with citizens of Russia and the Russian nation comes to 10% to 16%.
8. Under the RNF project No. 14-18-01963, 52 interviews were taken, and 20 interviews under the IS RAS project (4th wave).
9. This was the only such opinion.
10. Examples of transformations of stereotypical judgements toward Georgians and Ukrainians were recorded by surveys by Levada-Center for Citation2013–Citation2016.
11. Project “Resource of inter-ethnic agreement in the consolidation of Russian society: general and particular in regional diversity,” Citation2015.
12. The tolerance index is calculated by the average figure from the sum of replies to the question about disagreement with the fact that some nationalities are distinguished by aggression and criminal activity and that there are nationalities that the respondents do not respect, with a negative attitude to a Dagestani being appointed as a boss or living next to a Dagestani family.