Ethno-political Processes Research Articles

Ethnopolitical Processes in the North Caucasus: Dynamics and Stabilizing Factors

The paper is based on the results of an expert survey conducted in 2016-2017 in all territories located in of the North Caucasian Federal District. A detailed analysis of the results of the study, obtained by the method of expert assessments (Delphi group) is presented. The hierarchy of risks and threats was worked out and specified. The major risk factors include: the persistency of ethno-clan structure, the deterioration of the socio-economic situation of a large part of the population and extremism, based on external factors. It is concluded that the ethnopolitical situation in the region is characterized by a combination of both positive and negative trends with a certain prevalence of stabilizing processes, but the regional situation can gain the reverse direction at any time.

Mass Media as a Source for the Study of Language Issues

The article is devoted to the linguistic situation in the Republic of Tatarstan reflected in mass media. Adoption of the Law “On languages of the peoples of the Republic of Tatarstan” in 1992 facilitated the developed of a legal basis for implementing the language policy aimed at parity progress of the state languages. Given the importance of preserving the native language in Tatarstan, the conditions for maintenance and versatile development of the Tatar language are being created. It is well known that mass media, including the regional ones, have been acquiring the role of a public opinion moderator, thus becoming a rich source of empirical material for monitoring various ethno-political processes. It can be relevant to consider the regional mass media of the Republic of Tatarstan in order to find out the attitudes towards the language policy implemented at both regional (Republic) and federal levels. In general, the analysis of the Republic informational space shows that the language policy of the Republic of Tatarstan government, the issues of preservation and development of the Tatar language are still topical. Despite the 25th anniversary of adoption of the Law “On state languages of the Republic of Tatarstan”, the coexistence, functioning and development of the two state languages in the Republic is still not represented in mass media as equal; the Russian language continues to prevail in all aspects of “statehood”.

Root causes and ways of the settlement of ethno-political conflicts

The presentation analyzes three belts of ethno-political conflict that directly affect the national interests of Russia. The link between ethno-political processes and globalization is highlighted, uncovering a number of challenges. Seven characteristic features of the contemporary world order are identified and their influence on the state of ethno-political conflicts and the prospects for their settlement are discussed.

Турецкое религиозное влияние в Республике Башкортостан в контексте этнополитических процессов

Турецкое религиозное влияние в Республике Башкортостан в контексте этнополитических процессов

The problem of the interrelation of the Internet and politics in modern Russian researches

In this article, we present a review of the modern discussion about the role of the Internet in politics among Russian researchers. We identify the main areas of modern research on this issue: the phenomenon of censorship in the Internet, the role of the Internet in election campaigns, the manipulative capabilities of the Internet, the interconnection of the Internet with ethnopolitical processes. We pay attention to the dispute over the impact of the Internet on the democratic institute and process and as well as on the growth of civil activity. We note that Internet communications are only tools for implementing change, an important condition for the realization of the potential of the World Wide Web is the nature of the political regime. We defined aspects of the problem of the role of the Internet in politics which should be considered further: the Internet as a factor of influence on ethnopolitical processes, the role of virtual reality in erasing the boundaries of ethnicity and the development of extremism and nationalistic sentiments, Internet communications as tools of modern election campaigns, features of influence (positive and negative) of the Internet on the growth of civic activity, media manipulation technology in the Internet, models of censorship in the Internet in modern states and others. We draw the conclusion that scientific research on various aspects on the issue of the interrelation of the Internet and politics continues in Russian science, but the debate about the role of the Internet in politics has not been completed. The lack of consensus on many issues is largely due to the fact that the introduction of Internet communications into politics is a complex and multifaceted process, so its scientific understanding also gives rise to many discussions.

КАТАЛИЗАТОРЫ ЭТНОПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ ПРОТИВОРЕЧИЙ В КАВКАЗСКОМ РЕГИОНЕ

The article is devoted to the analysis of the sources of ethnopolitical conflicts in the North and South Caucasus. The factors influencing the development of ethno-political problems and crises, the fragmentation of society according to ethnocultural and religious characteristics, the politicization of ethnicity, etc. The special geostrategic importance of the Caucasus region in the foreign policy of the leading world powers, primarily Russia, is noted, in connection with which, it is analyzed: the influence of political transformations of recent decades on ethno-political processes, the role of ethnic elites, issues of intergroup interaction in the Caucasus, ethnic identity, etc. The following catalysts for ethno-political contradictions in the Caucasus region have been identified: ethno-confessional heterogeneity of the region; territorial disputes; status differences in the territorial structure of the Soviet state; irredentist tendencies. Based on the identified sources of contradictions, the following types of Caucasian ethnopolitical conflicts can be distinguished: conflicts caused by territorial disputes; conflicts associated with actions to realize the right of peoples to self-determination; Conflicts provoked by a change in political and legal status and position of administrative-territorial units.

СТАНОВЛЕНИЕ СИСТЕМЫ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ЭТНОПОЛИТИЧЕСКИМИ ПРОЦЕССАМИ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ПРОЯВЛЕНИЙ НАЦИОНАЛИСТИЧЕСКОГО РАДИКАЛИЗМА ВО ВЛАДИМИРСКОМ РЕГИОНЕ

The article considers three stages of the formation of a regional system of ethnopolitical management by the example of the Vladimir region. It indicates that the process proceeded in three stages and was accompanied by the sequential formation and reform of structures of the executive power and local self-government. It is noted that each passed stage was characterized by the predominant use of a particular management method: the situational, system-integrated or program-oriented. The author emphasizes that there is a direct connection between the nature of the ethnopolitical situation in the region and the methods of controlling the ethnopolitical processes. She proves that it is a system-integrated approach to the regulation of ethno-political processes that allowed to push out nationalist forces from the region, get out of the period of lasting stabilization in the sphere of interethnic relations. The issue of the influence of “protective nationalism” on the ethnopolitical situation in the Vladimir region is examined and an assessment is made of the consequences of applying that ideology to the state of interethnic relations in the region. The structure and main elements of the system of management of interethnic relations in the Vladimir region are described. The conclusion is made about the functioning in the region of a three-tier management vertical (federal center-region-municipalities) and of an effective system for implementing the state national policy.

Методологические аспекты анализа традиционных форм этнического предпринимательства

The article presents proven methodological approaches of traditional ethnic entrepreneurship forms study. The author stands on the positions of primordialism and considers the of ethnic entrepreneurship phenomenon on the base of fractal and network organization concepts. Ethnic entrepreneurship manifestations in the urban and rural environment are proposed to be considered in an organic relationship, as a process, that allows ethnos adaptation potential realization at all levels of social organization of ethnic minorities (from “households” to large trading firms), on the one hand. And, to integrate the primary institutions of the ethnos (fractals) into the system of regional and interregional economic (market) ties without the threat of losing ethnic identity, on the other hand. Special attention is paid to the ethnic economy place in the structure of ethnic processes (migration, adaptation, integration, consolidation, assimilation). This methodological approach allows us to consider ethnic entrepreneurship as a traditional economy structural element and a sociocultural phenomenon in statics. So, it is in dynamics, - as a manifestation of a multicomponent, hierarchically coordinated and latent (in form) process. According to the author, the actual ethnic economy should be attributed to the ethnic processes group. This allows you to expand the subject field of research in the field of social and applied anthropology (ethnology) significantly; to reach the level of scientific forecasting of the mechanism of interaction and interdependence of ethno-political and socio-economic processes.

«Гибридная модель» этнической политики Норвегии в северных губерниях — ключ к стабильным межнациональным отношениям

In this article, we study the political and legal model currently used by Norway in its Northern counties. This work is a part of comprehensive research supported by the Russian Science Foundation. Our study aims to provide a historical perspective to the model of Nor­way’s national ethnic policy in the Northern counties by identifying the operational capabili­ties and assessing the efficiency of these models amid increasing migration flows and changes in the country’s socio-economic environment. The methods we use in this multidisciplinary study are situated at the interface of national and international law, political science, history, and sociology. They include the comparative historical method (the dynamics of ethno-political processes), the systemic method (ethic policy in the framework of target-based pro­gramme management), the comparative law method (a comparison of national legal systems and international contractual standards), the value and norm-driven method (ethnic policy viewed through the prism of public good), institutional method (the role of political institu­tions), and the secondary analysis of sociological data. We also rely on qualitative methods, namely, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data on ethnic diasporas living in the North of Norway. As a result, we establish that the Kingdom of Norway has a unified ap­proach to national ethnic policy, which rests on self-confessed multiculturalism. However, different ethnic political models are applied in the case of certain ethnic groups. Today, against the background of declared state multiculturalism and integration, the models of ac­culturation and non-violent assimilation are both operational in Norway. There are sporadic expressions of nationalism and voluntary segregation. We conclude that, despite a unified approach to ethnic policy and despite Norway’s political and legal achievements in the pro­tection of indigenous peoples’ rights, the country’s government carries out a differentiated ‘hybrid’ ethnic policy towards ethnic groups living on its territory. The growing infighting between the right and the left parties in the Storting translates into unpopular and spur-of-the-moment political decisions as regards inter-ethnic relations.

Volodymyr Baran’s Ethnocultural and Ethnogenetic Studies

The article analyzes the ethnocultural and ethnogenetic issues in the works of V. Baran, published by him in 1955–1991. It was found that during the totalitarian era, humanitarian science was under the powerful control of communist power, which required from the Soviet scientists to profess Marxism-Leninism and fulfil the tasks of the regime without deviating from the ideological matrix. This also concerned the observance of the theory which stipulated the stadial development of the mankind, the existence of the so-called ancient Rus nationality, etc. It is shown that the ethnogeny of Slavs and their ethnocultural development were among the priority directions of Soviet archaeology; therefore, V. Baran, with his interests in Slavs, was constantly involved in the research, but despite ideological pressure, avoided unnecessary conjuncture in favour of a well-considered scientific work. This referred to as somewhat politicized Cherniakhiv problems so Slavic ethnogeny in general. It is established that the scientist did not always manage to maintain his independent position; thus, he was forced to support the concept of the existence of the unified Ancient Rus nationality. In some of his texts, particularly in those that had gained the greatest publicity (namely, the collective monograph “Slavs of the Southeastern Europe in the Pre-State Period”), V. Baran advocated the existence of the Ancient Rus nationality at the time of the first Eastern Slavic state – Ancient Rus. It is proved that V. Baran, the founder of the Kyiv School of Slavonic Studies, together with his adhering colleagues, managed to create his own, qualitatively new concept of Slavic ethnogeny, grounded on the idea of the autochthony of the Slavs between the Dnieper and Odra. It is established that as a result of complex ethnocultural, social and ethnopolitical processes, which involved a number of cultures and cultural groups of Southeastern and Central Europe in the 1st–4th centuries, and at the end of the 4th and 5th centuries, the early medieval Prague-Korchak culture was created.

Методические проблемы эмпирических исследований этнополитических и этносоциальных процессов в регионах российской Арктики

Методические проблемы эмпирических исследований этнополитических и этносоциальных процессов в регионах российской Арктики

Влияние средств массовой информации на этнополитиче- ские процессы в Кабардино-Балкарии в период системной трансформа- ции российского общества

Влияние средств массовой информации на этнополитиче- ские процессы в Кабардино-Балкарии в период системной трансформа- ции российского общества

Anatomy of the Political Transformations during the Period of the Dissolution of the USSR on the Material from Kūhistoni Badakhshon

This research was supported by the grant of the President of the Russian Federation for the young PhDs N МК-5515.2018.6 “Russia and Ethno-Political Processes in The Kūhistoni Badakhshon Autonomous Region of Tajikistan (1991–2005)”

РОЛЬ КУБАНСКОГО КАЗАЧЕСТВА В ЭТНОПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ И ГЕОПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ ПРОЦЕССАХ В КРАСНОДАРСКОМ КРАЕ

РОЛЬ КУБАНСКОГО КАЗАЧЕСТВА В ЭТНОПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ И ГЕОПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ ПРОЦЕССАХ В КРАСНОДАРСКОМ КРАЕ

THE RUSSIAN NORTH IN HISTORICAL DYNAMICS: THE FAILURE OF THE PROJECT OF THE RUSSIAN CULTURAL ‘PANTRY’

Based on historical, sociological, ethnographic and demographic data the paper considers cultural and ethno-political processes in the Russian (European) North over a long historical period. The study shows that the centuries- long colonization of the Russian North led to the formation of a single historical and cultural territory which was divided into separate administrative enclaves in the Soviet time. However ethnic and cultural changes in recent decades have almost reconstructed the former cultural landscape of the region and created a conceptual framework for the regional integration.

THE INFLUENCE OF INSTITUTIONS OF A CIVIL SOCIETY ON ETHNOPOLITICAL PROCESSES DURING THE SYSTEMIC TRANSFORMATION OF RUSSIAN SOCIETIES (On the materials of Kabardino-Balkariya and Karachaevo-Circassia)

The author of the article considers the process of formation and development of civil society institutions in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia and their influence on ethno-political processes at various stages of modernization reforms in the post-Soviet Russia, analyzes the formation of regulatory and legal framework of non-commercial organization, the stages of development and the structure of civil society institutions in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. The article covers activity of public authorities, local government and social associations of the republics during the period of growth of centrifugal tendencies in the North Caucasus. The author analyzes attempts to realize various forms of self-determination, to conduct administrative and territorial transformations and considers the factors that negatively affect the ethno-political situation in the region. The author of the article presents the activity of republican institutions of civil society: public chambers, cultural and national centers and associations, youth and religious organizations, mass media, and studies the experience of public chambers in holding meetings where topical issues of socio-economic and public life of the republics were discussed, including those aimed at strengthening of ethno-political stability in the region. An effective form of taking into account the public opinion while developing management decisions is the participation of the Public Chamber in conducting public expertise of draft federal and regional laws. Special mention should be made of the activities of the Public Chamber for prevention of religious extremism. The work on generalization of the activities of religious associations for implementation of social programs and projects aimed at increasing the level of culture of interconfessional and interethnic tolerance among young people is to solve this problem. At the same time, there are some factors that impede the development of civil society institutions in the region. First of all, it is low social activity of citizens and the absence of principled civic position on a number of crucial issues. In conclusion, the author determines main perspective directions of the development of civil society institutions in the region.

УМОВИ ТА ФАКТОРИ ПОШИРЕННЯ СЕПАРАТИСТСЬКИХ НАСТРОЇВ В УКРАЇНІ: ЕТНОНАЦІОНАЛЬНИЙ АСПЕКТ

Opposition to separatist tendencies in Ukraine is impossible without studying the ethnic composition and dynamics of ethnopolitical development of the country’s regions. Minimization of the conflict-related potential of interethnic relations in polyethnic Ukraine is an important part of the measures to ensure state sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state.After the collapse of the USSR, separatist tendencies in Ukraine were short-lived and marginal, activated during the political crisis, economic and social instability, leading to polarization of public opinion and intensification of the struggle for the distribution of power resources in the country.The new tendency of ethnopolitical processes in Ukraine is their transformation under the influence of external actors. Using destructive mechanisms of influence on them, they are trying to destabilize the domestic political situation in the country. Such centers of influence were the revisionist-minded Russian Federation and the radical political forces of Hungary and Romania, which, appealing to the past and the times of the territory of Ukraine in their composition, are trying to provide new separatism.Today, the regions of the South - Eastern region, Zakarpattya and Northern Bukovina, in which compact Russian, Hungarian and Romanian national minorities live, form a zone of ethnopolitical instability. Their territory can become a springboard for further radicalization and spread of separatist sentiment, which is one of the tools of the Russian hybrid war against Ukraine.Consequently, separatism has become a long-term ethnopolitical technology of blasting Ukrainian statehood. Therefore, actual and necessary in modern conditions is the development of mechanisms for preventing and combating separatism as part of ethno-national policy in order to ensure the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF KARABAKH AND THE ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI RELATIONS: BEFORE THE FIRST ARMENIAN-MUSLIM CLASH (1905-1906)

The article deals with a brief history of Karabakh and the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations between the two republics of South Caucasus - Azerbaijan and Armenia, including the primary aim of defining the ethno-political processes and historical occurrences as emerging the Armenian problem in the Azerbaijani territory of Nogorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijani: Dağlıq Qarabağ). The aim of this writing is to learn how and why this ethnic, religious and political conflict appeared between Armenian and local population of Nogorno-Karabakh. Of course, all the remarkable factors in this article let us prove that the initial indigenous people of Karabakh was the Azerbaijani Turks. In fact, Karabakh historically and legally is an integral territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan recognized by the international community.

Turkic Origins of the Traditional Kazakh Historical Thought and Islamic Influence on its Formation

Background/Objectives: The study aims to determine the Turkic origins of the traditional Kazakh historical thought and Islamic influence on its formation and to provide a scientific reconstruction of the Kazakh Khanate's history. Methods: Methodological analysis of the medieval-era written sources presupposes the usage of the methods of forecasting and assumption, comparison and scientific reconstruction, aimed at the disclosure of the content of scientifically-confirmed events and facts that can be found in genealogical tables, genealogies, and traditional written sources. Genealogy is used as an auxiliary method. Findings: As a result, the functions of genealogical data as a unique historical source that reveals the essence of the social and political relationships and social institutions of the traditional Kazakh society were classified. Thus, greater emphasis was placed on the religious and spiritual aspects of ethno-political processes in the society, which previously were not covered in the fundamental studies based on ideological postulates. The paper also provides the periodization of the Kazakh historical thought formation and development, systematizes the process of integration of the Islamic historical thought and the foundations of the Turkic worldview into the genealogical data that strengthened the tribal structure of the Kazakh society. For the first time, the concept of transformation of the ancient Turkic notion of the sacredness of the authority over the Islamic spiritual and political values advocated by the Turko-Islamic Sufi Ahmad Yasawi as a basis of the state ideology of the Kazakh Khanate was proposed. The Kazakh shezhire (genealogy) as a genre of oral history was evaluated methodologically. Applications/Improvements: The results of this study can be used in teaching relevant disciplines such as history, sociology, political science, etc. at higher educational institutions, and as sources for research papers and dissertations.

Этноконфессиональный фактор в духовном возрождении Тувы: социально-философский анализ

The article describes ethno-confessional processes in present-day Tuva and the spiritual revival that began in the 1990s. The paper discusses and examines the formation of a new cultural and moral system and the youth’s actual value paradigms. The authors emphasize the importance of preservation of the spiritual heritage of the past, including ethnic and religious forms of Tuvan traditional culture. The article also examines the relationships between religion and ethnicity, the peculiarity of Tuva as a multiconfessional region with quite a variety of religions. On the basis of the authors’ research, the current state of religiosity is described, including the phenomenon of religious syncretism. Thus, the current polyconfessional picture of religious life in the Republic of Tuva also determines prospects of further processes that take place as part of the situation. Polyconfessionality is quite a positive phenomenon which testifies of freedom of spiritual choice. The characteristic feature of modern Tuva’s religious life is that amid a significant growth in the numbers of believers and adherents of the historic ethnoconfessional communities, there are a number of confessions that had been unknown before. And those undoubtedly influence the spiritual, cultural, social and ethnopolitical processes in the region. Modern society must be competent enough to communicate with the diverse confessions, which requires that such phenomena be subject to comprehensive studies.