Formation of Ethnic Identity of Mari People in Absence of Single Mari Literary Language

Abstract

This study is devoted to the history of the formation of the ethnic identity of the Mari people in the Republic of Mari El. Particular attention is paid to the changes in the identification of Mari, which occurred in direct proportion to extralinguistic factors. The question of the role of language, confessional affiliation, historical past, relations with nature and mythological symbols that characterize the modern ethnic Mari identity is considered. The importance of the demographic imbalance in the Republic, which played the most significant role in shaping the character of the Mari, is emphasized. The relevance of the study is due to the increased interest of science in recent decades in the topic of ethnic and Russian identity. The identity of the Mari people has not been previously studied by the author of this work, although many problems of Mari El have been analyzed and described in detail: the language situation in different time periods, language policy, the legislative framework regarding languages and the education system, the history of the Mari literary language, its writing and a number of other sociolinguistic aspects. Unlike articles by other authors on the topic of Mari identity, the novelty of this work lies in the fact that for the first time the identity is shown in the process of formation, from antiquity to the present day. A characteristic of the identity of the Mari people, formed under the influence of a variety of factors, is compiled.