Russian Language in Russian Identity: Theoretical Approaches and Current Context

Abstract

The article is devoted to some aspects of the role of the Russian language in the Russian identity. It analyzes the main concepts of civil nationalism in the Western scientific literature, identifies their elements associated with giving the national language one of the key roles in the formation of civil nations as a special type of solidarity (the concepts of E. Gellner, B. Anderson, E. Hobsbawm, M. Billig, etc.). It is shown that national languages, formed under the influence of certain economic and political circumstances, continue to be reproduced as linguistic constructs in the modern conditions of fragmentation of space, trends in the recognition of the rights of linguistic and other minorities, and transformations of the ideas of nationalism. Based on the materials of representative sociological studies in different countries, it is shown that language is the “cornerstone” of national (civil) identity in people’s perceptions – national or nationally dominant languages in different countries are perceived as necessary to be considered part of a civil nation. Russian surveys also show that the Russian language is one of the most important identifiers of Russian identity in the mass representations of our fellow citizens at the moment, which is much more noticeable in the Russian ethnic environment. Russian language potential in the Russian identity is negatively influenced by both long-standing factors (in particular, the opposition of Russian and native languages in language policy and education) and recent factors related to the emphasis on the role of the Russian language as the language of the state-forming people. The article concludes that the potential of the Russian language in the Russian identity is negatively influenced by the long-standing factors (in particular, the opposition of Russian and native languages in language policy and education).