Editorial

This paper examines how ethnic, regional, and religious identities are reflected in language use in Senegal (where Wolof is the major lingua franca). I argue that unlike "pure" Wolof, "urban" Wolof is a "convergence language" with no ethnic significance, as more and more "uprooted" members from other ethnic groups regard themselves as Wolof. Firstly, I provide a historical background of the interactions between languages in Senegal. Secondly, I show how ethnic and regional identities are enacted in speakers' language use and attitudes in the country. Finally, I examine how linguistic innovations serve as markers of group membership and religious identity.

The scientific article clarifies the concepts of ethnic, regional and macro-regional identity. The article substantiates the possibility and expediency of their distinction and delimitation as independent types of social identity of a person. The question of correlation and interrelation of ethnic identity with regional and macro-regional identity, the possibility of their hierarchical consideration is discussed. Ethnic, regional and macro-regional identity is considered as socio-psychological categories within the framework of the article. Ethnic identity is interpreted as a dynamic and multidimensional formation, which characterizes the feeling (implicit component) and awareness (explicit component) of a person as a member of a certain ethnic group/community. Regional identity is considered as a dynamic and multidimensional formation that characterizes the feeling (implicit component) and awareness (explicit component) of a person as a resident of a certain region. Macro-regional identity is considered as a dynamic and multidimensional formation, which characterizes the feeling (implicit component) and awareness (explicit component) of a person as a representative of a certain macro-regional association of territories. The close interrelation between the concepts, their consistency and complementarity, as well as the impossibility of their unambiguous hierarchical consideration due to individual criteria of importance of each type of identity, depending on the structure of self-concept and the system of values of a person are established. Using the historical and socio-cultural context, we substantiate the possibility and expediency of studying macro-regional identity for people living in the Middle Volga region, including the Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov regions, as well as the Republics of Tatarstan and Chuvashia. Prospects for research on ethnic, regional and macro-regional identity for the education of interethnic tolerance in a multicultural macro-region are outlined.

This paper provides a brief introduction to women's dress practices in the Sultanate of Oman. We explore women's clothing practices as dialogues with religious and regional communities. Our introduction provides concrete examples of how dress practices from neighbouring communities, such as coastal Iran, neighbouring India, and the East African island of Zanzibar, have been appropriated and reformulated to express regional Omani identities. We discuss veiling practices in order to show how these practices reflect regional and generational identities which Western observers often misunderstand as signifying oppression, but are in fact rich in many-layered meaning for local women (e.g. marital status and tribal affiliation). The data for this study were obtained through semi-structured interviews with local women, which were conducted by a research team that included student-translators who belonged to the villages and Bedouin camps visited for the purpose of this study in 2010 and 2011.

<p>В статье дается характеристика состояния общенациональной и этнической идентичностей в их соотношении как между собой, так и с региональным и макрорегиональным видами идентичности у молодежи разных национальностей в четырех полиэтничных республиках Сибири (Алтай, Тува, Хакасия, Якутия). Материалом выступили данные этносоциологических исследований коллектива ученых Института философии и права СО РАН в 2000–2010 гг.</p><p>Зафиксирована актуальность этнической идентичности наряду с общенациональной (гражданской) идентичностью как важного условия благополучного развития России. Выявлена специфика идентификационных стратегий молодежи в республиках в зависимости от принадлежности к конкретной этнической группе. Проведен анализ идентификационных стратегий в гендерном аспекте, а также анализ распределений ответов контрольной группы респондентов более старших возрастов в Республике Саха (Якутия) с целью сравнительной оценки степени выраженности разных видов идентичности.</p><p>В большей степени выраженным видом идентичности является общенациональная (число тех, для кого этот вид идентичности не является важным, не превышало 7% в каждой из республик). Другие виды идентичности также достаточно востребованы среди молодежи, хотя и выражены в несколько меньшей степени. Исключение составляет Тува, где региональная и этническая идентичности по значимости практически совпадают с общенациональной. Отмечается достаточно сбалансированная структура идентификационной матрицы молодежи. Она выражается в умеренной степени актуальности этнической, макрорегиональной и региональной идентичности при общем доминировании общенациональной. Особо акцентируется бесконфликтное сосуществование этнической и общенациональной идентичностей в массовом сознании жителей республик.</p><p>Сделан вывод, что относительное благополучие этносоциальной ситуации и межэтнических отношений в исследуемых республиках достигается, в том числе, благодаря наличию баланса разных видов идентичностей. Это создает важные предпосылки оптимального развития региональных межэтнических сообществ в рамках единого Российского государства. Показано, что рассматриваемые виды социальной идентичности не противоречат друг другу в сознании их носителей, а гармоничное развитие межэтнических сообществ исследуемых регионов возможно на основе их одновременного позитивного стимулирования, что представляется важной для современной социокультурной действительности Российской Федерации политической задачей.</p>

Risky movies, risky behaviors, and ethnic identity among Black adolescents

The components of professional deformations of specialists are determined: a high level of psychoemotional (emotional) exhaustion; higher than the average level of depersonalization (personal estrangement), professional deformations in general, reduction of personal achievements and professional motivation. The features of the ethnic identity of specialists with professional deformations are revealed: the average level of the sociocultural and regional identity, racism, ethnonihilism, normal positive ethnic identity, ethno-egoism, ethno-isolationism; below the average level of ethnofanatism. A comparative analysis of the ethnic identity of professionals with professional deformations (average level of normal positive ethnic identity, racism, regional and sociocultural identity, emotional-value component of ethnic identity, ethno-isolationism, ethno-nihilism, ethno-egoism) and without pronounced professional deformations (below average level of racism, ethnic indifference, ethno-isolationism, ethnonihilism, ethno-egoism; above average level of normal positive ethnic identity, regional and sociocultural identity). Correlations between the severity levels of types of ethnic identity and the components of professional deformations were established: a noticeable relationship between the high level of psychoemotional (emotional) exhaustion and the average level of the sociocultural and regional identity, racism, ethno-nihilism, ethnic indifference, normal positive ethnic identity, ethno-egoism, ethno-isolationism; moderate connection between below the average level of ethnofanatism and above the average level of depersonalization (personal estrangement), reduction of personal achievements and professional motivation, professional deformations in general.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the features of the interaction of national-civil, regional and ethnic identities in the region on the basis of an expert survey conducted in May 2022 in the Republic of Adygea. The methodological basis of the of the study includes an interdisciplinary method for the study of identity, proposed by L. M. Drobizheva, which made it possible to identify the mechanisms for the development of various levels of identity and identification processes, as well as ways to form their positive compatibility; the concept of a multi-level identity proposed by the ASU research team led by A.Yu. Shadzhe, which interprets social identity from the point of view of polyparadigm, and the identified levels of identity as interpenetrating and complementary.   Research results. The results of the conducted expert survey allow us to once again assert that in the Republic of Adygea national-civil, regional and ethnic identities coexist on the principle of complementarity and compatibility. Moreover, the expert community of the region agrees that there are no contradictions or confrontation between the three levels of identity in the region.   Prospects of the study are related to further comprehensive interdisciplinary research of complementarity, compatibility and/or solidarity of national-civil, ethnic and regional identities, assessment of the challenges and risks of the new reality that affect the identification and consolidation mechanisms of a multi-ethnic Russian society (on the example of the Republic of Adygea).  

The spring 2014 Crimean events were similar to a tectonic shift, aftershocks of which are painfully perceived by the Crimean Tatars. This article highlights the impact of these events on civic, regional, ethnic and confessional identity of the Crimean Tatars. The identity structure of the Crimean Tatars has undergone substantial changes. Civic identity has taken back seat: decreasing share of those who identify themselves with Ukraine has not been compensated for the growing share of those identifying themselves with Russia; the majority of the Crimean Tatars adopt a “wait and see” approach. Many Crimean Tatars have not accepted Russia; according to the survey data, only 16 % call themselves “rossiyane” (Russian citizens). Even among those who support the idea of the Crimean incorporation into Russia, the civic (Russian) identity is weak and opposed by the regional identity. The ethnic and regional identities that have traditionally been important for Crimean Tatars have undergone deterioration: among those who are dissatisfied with new social conditions and policies the confessional identity is getting more and more important. It substitutes for the regional identity when ethnic identity keeps dominant. The article is based on the representative survey conducted by the VCIOM (Russian Public Opinion Research Centre) among the Crimean Tatars in October 2015 (N=1200) as well as on the qualitative research conducted by VCIOM and the Institute of Sociology of the RAS in the summer and the autumn 2015 (12 focus-groups with Crimean Tatars, 4 focus-groups with representatives of “ethnic majority”, 19 expert interviews and 10 biographic interviews.

This study explores how rap and hip-hop artists construct a sense of “coolness” and engage in performativity within the cultural context of Kerala. By integrating both local and global influences, these artists establish unique fashion identities, which are analyzed through their Instagram profiles, YouTube videos, and live performances. Fashion, in this context, is conceptualized as a socio-cultural phenomenon shaped by multiple intersecting factors. Historically, films have played a significant role in shaping fashion trends in Kerala, a southern state of India. Cinematic representations have influenced public perceptions of clothing, grooming, and self-presentation, with audiences often emulating the attire and hairstyles of film protagonists. However, contemporary trends indicate a shift from cinema to digital platforms, particularly rap music videos and social media, as key sites for fashion discourse. These platforms facilitate intercultural and cross-cultural engagements, allowing artists to experiment with clothing, accessories, body modifications, hairstyles, and overall aesthetics. Unlike the conventional body representations often depicted in mainstream cinema, rappers and social media influencers introduce diverse fashion expressions that merge global and local stylistic elements. The fashion choices adopted by these artists are not merely aesthetic but also serve as markers of community, regional identity, religious affiliation, and caste dynamics. By embodying these varied influences, Kerala’s hip-hop artists contribute to the evolving discourse on identity, representation, and cultural hybridity in contemporary fashion.

Reviewed by: Sounds of Ethnicity: Listening to German North America, 1850–1914 Mario Nathan Coschi Lorenzkowski, Barbara – Sounds of Ethnicity: Listening to German North America, 1850–1914. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2010. Pp. xiii, 295. Barbara Lorenzkowski’s innovative Sounds of Ethnicity examines the relationship between language and ethnic identity in the German communities of Buffalo, New York and Waterloo County, Ontario. Her book is divided into two parts: Part One: Language Matters, examines the German-language press of Waterloo County and German classes in the schools of Waterloo County and Buffalo, while Part Two: Music Matters explores the Peace Jubilees held in Waterloo and Buffalo in 1871 to commemorate the end of the Franco-Prussian War and Saengerfeste, or singers’ festivals, held in the Great Lakes region between 1860 and 1912. For sources, Lorenzkowski primarily examines newspapers [End Page 448] from the Great Lakes region, particularly the local German-language presses of Buffalo and Waterloo County. She also studies school board records and the records of the Saengerfeste and of the individuals prominently involved in them. Lorenzkowski envisions ethnicity as something that “happens” rather than membership in a group. The use of language in speech or in song served “to sound out the shape of this ethnicity” (p. 6). She therefore moves beyond a simplistic understanding of language as a static marker of ethnic identity, whereby language loss signals assimilation. To do this, she delves past the exhortations of the ethnic elite, such as newspaper editors and leaders of cultural institutions, who called for linguistic purity, and lamented the increasing use of English amongst the ethnic rank and file, a group less clearly defined by Lorenzkowski. What she reveals is a dynamic, fluid relationship between language and ethnicity for both the rank and file and the elite, despite the conservative rhetoric of the latter. In speaking a German-English hybrid rather than a pure High German, or singing and making merry in the less formal setting of the beer gardens rather than listening politely in the concert hall, the rank and file Germans were not rejecting their ethnicity, but were expressing an ethnic identity that spoke to their own experiences in North America. For both the elite and the rank and file, language practices were also a forum for interaction with the host society, rather than a barrier between the two. In staging the singers’ festivals, the elite were partly trying to foster a musical culture in North America. Anglo-Saxon audiences, for their part, eventually came to claim these festivals as their own. As a result, these ethnic festivals became part of the mainstream public culture of Canada and the United States. Lorenzkowski’s transnational approach, which sees the German communities of Buffalo and Waterloo County as “cast in a continental, not transatlantic mould,” makes a significant contribution to the historiography (p. 17). Studies of the formation of ethnic communities and identity in Canada are quite often limited to the level of a single neighbourhood or city. Those studies which venture beyond this local level are typically bounded by the receiving country’s borders. Those works which adopt a transnational approach, such as Elizabeth Jane Errington’s Emigrant Worlds and Transatlantic Communities, generally look at the continuing ties of community between the sending and receiving countries. The world that immigrants knew and lived, however, was not limited to the axis of sending and receiving countries. When immigrants came to North America, they frequently moved from one place to another in search of work, paying little heed to the border between Canada and the United States. Even once they had settled more permanently, these migrants continued to have ties of kin and community that straddled borders. These local studies of Waterloo Country and Buffalo enable Lorenzkowski to explore the growth of a larger German community in the Great Lakes region. She argues that the German-language press of Waterloo County created a transnational space that encompassed Canada, the United States, and, initially, Germany. In their advocacy for linguistic purity, editors criticized not only immigrants who spoke in a German-English hybrid, but European Germans whose language was riven by dialects and littered with French loanwords. The German-Canadian...

The Armenian diaspora is one of the largest in Russia and in the world. The Armenians living in the Krasnodar Territory are a large and active group, thus, an investigation into the problem of their acculturation is of scientific and practical importance. Based on the theory of social identity, the theory of acculturation, and the regional socio-cultural context, the study focused on the role of ethnic, regional and Russian national (civic) identities and diaspora activity in the acculturation of the Armenians in the Krasnodar Territory. The study used the scales from the MIRIPS project questionnaire (Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies). The sample consisted of 181 respondents. Using structural equation modeling, the ethnic and Russian national identities of the Armenians living in the Krasnodar Territory were revealed as factors that contributed to their integration, and regional identity—as factors that fostered assimilation. Diaspora activity was determined by both ethnic and regional identity and predicted the Armenians’ attitudes towards integration and separation. Also, diaspora activity of the Armenians in the Kuban region facilitated the interconnection of ethnic and regional identities with the separation strategy. In general, the study revealed that all identities (ethnic, regional and Russian national) contribute to a certain degree to the acceptance of the host society culture by the Armenians in the Krasnodar Territory. At the same time, diaspora activity can be an effective mechanism for the adaptation of migrants or a source of problems associated with increased impenetrability of diaspora’s borders, the migrants’ exclusive focus on their ethnic group and their decreased desire for sociocultural integration into the host society. It is important to take this into account when shaping the regional interethnic relations policy.

In this article, based on a representative mass survey, expert and in-depth interviews, the levels of ethnic, regional and local identities in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2023 are being analysed. It was revealed that the ethnic identity of the Sakha people (ethnic Yakuts) remains consistently high and subjectively significant, among Russian Yakuts its level is raising, as well as among Russians in the country in recent years. The cognitive content of ethnic identity is considered, the most important component of which is the native language - for both Sakha and Russians, as well as culture, territory and customs. The growth of religion as a component of ethnic identity for the Sakha is revealed. For Russian Yakuts, common statehood and common history are also significantly important, that is associated with the similarity of ethnic and civil identities for the Russians. It is demonstrated that regional and local identities are also very significant for the Yakuts and are combined for the majority with Russian identity. A high level of regional identity was recorded among Russian Yakuts, that is significant for a region where for a long time those arriving for work in production considered themselves and were considered by the local community as temporary residents, guests. It was also revealed that in the issue of the priority of rights of a particular ethnic community, the overwhelming majority of the republic's residents share an open and positive point of view: "all citizens of Russia should have equal rights." However, if they are talking directly about "their" republic, more than a third of the Sakha agree with the position that "representatives of the indigenous nationality should have more rights in their national republic than representatives of other nationalities." Such a position is, on the one hand, discriminatory and potentially leading to inequalities, and on the other hand, may be caused by fear of losing their own ethnic identity. It is also shown that the widespread view in the region that it would be good for the peoples of the republics to have more independence is shared by high proportions of respondents both among the Sakha and among Russian Yakuts, that could be potentially significant for strengthening the regional community. At the same time it is important to prevent the expansion of the influence of external actors hostile to Russia, trying to exploit the so-called anti-colonialist, anti-imperial agenda with the aim of undermining the integrity of our country.

The concept of regional and sub-regional identity as well as regional autonomy has captured the stage of Social Science. The regional autonomy aspirations and the sense of regional and sub-regional identity have offered a new dimension to the assertiveness of ethnic group. Regional identity demands in South and Southeast Asian societies have followed a uniform pattern. These regional autonomy demands evolved over a large span of time may be located in specific geographical and environmental spaces. At one level, these demands remained humane and inclusive, incorporating and reflecting broader human and universal values. At the other level, they acquired the traits of particularism which in the later stages of building multi-cultural and multi-ethnic nation states posed many problems. The plurality of politics is the hallmark of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State, and this polarity is essentially the result of cultural diversities that criss-cross the geographical and cultural landscape of Kashmir. The J&K State is not only a conglomerate of three distinct regions – Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh – but there are also regions within regions marked off from one another by geography, culture, and history. The politics of regional and sub-regionalism based on region, religion, caste, ethnicity, and so on continues to be stubbornly informed by their respective histories and cultures – thus the resistance against hegemony and the demand for sub-regional autonomies and Hill Development Councils. This article attempts at, looking into the dynamics of these assertions, its impact on the politics of the state, and to delineate the role of different socio-political and historical forces in shaping regional and sub-regional assertions in J&K without, however, suppressing the relative significance of different identity markers.

Contemporary Malaysia is an amalgamation of regions with distinct historical origins and features that provide the raw material for strong regional identities. The Malay‐Muslim nature of the nation‐building project led by the dominant United Malays Nasional Organisation (UMNO) has reified regional identities by sharpening the contrast between them and Malaysia’s political center. Yet while regional identities are often pronounced, Malaysian politics are highly centralized, and neither deep fragmentation along regional lines nor meaningful secessionist movements have materialized. That results from Malaysia’s institutional features and the primacy of highly essentialized, trans‐regional ethno‐religious identities. This article examines the process of regional and ethnic identity formation, which has occurred in an endogenous manner that draws from and reinforces the dominance of UMNO and its political heartland. It argues that the embrace of the ethno‐religious identities has enabled the primacy of Malay‐Muslim considerations in national political discourse and consequently crowded out particularistic regional demands.

Given the role ethnic identity has as a protective factor against the effects of marginalization and discrimination (Umaña-Taylor, 2011), research longitudinally examining ethnic identity has become of increased importance. However, successful identity development must incorporate elements from both one’s ethnic group and from the United States (Berry, 1980). Despite this, relatively few studies have jointly evaluated ethnic and American identity (Schwartz et al., 2012). The current dissertation, guided by three objectives, sought to address this and several other gaps in the literature. First, psychometric properties of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and the American Identity Measure (AIM) were evaluated. Secondly, the dissertation examined growth trends in recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents’ and their caregivers’ ethnic and American identity. Lastly, the relationship between adolescents’ and caregivers’ ethnic and American identity was evaluated. The study used an archival sample consisting of 301 recently immigrated Hispanic families collected from Miami (N = 151) and Los Angeles (N = 150). Consistent with previous research, results in Study 1 indicated a two-factor model reliably provided better fit than a one-factor model and established longitudinal invariance for the MEIM and the AIM. Results from Study 2 found significant growth in adolescents’ American identity. While some differences were found across site and nationality, evidence suggested recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents were becoming more bicultural. Counterintuitively, results found a significant decline in caregivers’ ethnic identity which future studies should further examine. Finally, results from Study 3, found several significant positive relationships between adolescents’ and their caregivers’ ethnic and American identity. Findings provided preliminary evidence for the importance of examining identity development within a systemic lens. Despite several limitations, these three studies represented a step forward in addressing the current gaps in the cultural identity literature. Implications for future investigation are discussed.