Theory and practice of civil identity formation: the experience of Rostov-on-Don and the Rostov Region

Abstract

The object of the study is the official documents of the Government of Rostov-on-Don and the Rostov region, defining the strategy of state policy in relation to the formation and strengthening of civic identity, as well as the practice of implementing this policy through content analysis of the activities of various civil institutions. More than 150 ethnic groups live in the Rostov region. The population is more than 4 million people. According to the 2020 census, approximately 90% identified themselves as Russians; slightly more than 2% as Armenians, and even fewer as Ukrainians. Rostov-on-Don is today a border city with a difficult social situation, although in the Soviet years it was a large industrial, scientific, educational and cultural center of the country with attractive climatic and economic conditions. The purpose of the study is to reveal the forms of interaction between theorists and practitioners who comprehend and work on issues of building and strengthening civic identity in the region, demonstrating the positive results of this cooperation and discussing the problems that arise along the way. The research methods are content analysis of the websites of the Government of the Rostov Region and its pages on the VKontakte portal, the official websites of the Southern Federal University and the Don State Technological University; the Taganrog News Agency "My Taganrog"; the websites of the Military Cossack Society "All-Great Army of the Don"; the Central City Public Library named after A. P. Chekhov (Taganrog); and others. Summarizing the content analysis, the authors point to the need for closer interaction between representatives of the scientific elite and officials, especially in terms of developing regional strategies on interethnic relations and youth policy; the need to intensify the work of national cultural communities in the region; strengthening responsibility for the reliability of sociological research; ending the practice of assessing the importance of the work done by the number of participants in events; using Internet portals of municipalities are not only used to cover the work of housing and communal services, but also for socially significant events with a patriotic and civic solidarity orientation. The research is promising both in terms of expanding the scientific field, including data from portals of cities, districts, rural settlements, secondary schools, mass media (including radio and television) in content analysis; and in terms of "deepening" the research, involving the analysis of reporting documentation from various government departments and civil institutions.