The Trajectory of the Development of Regionalism in Russia: Practices of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Republic of Tatarstan

Abstract

In this article, we analyze how regionalism developed in the Russian regions from its most active phase in the 1990s until today, when this process has almost faded out. In particular, we analyze the dynamics and modern forms of regionalism for two regions: the Republic of Tatarstan and Sverdlovsk Oblast. It is based on an empirical study conducted by the authors in both regions in 2019. Study materials include interviews with participants of regionalist movements, interviews with experts and observation. Additionally, we employ regional media materials and data from social networks. Special attention is paid to regionalist organizations (as actors articulating regionalism), the strategies of regional elites and the patterns of their interaction with regionalist organizations. Regionalism “from below”, as an activity of regionalist organizations, and regionalism “from above”, as a policy of regional elites, are differentiated. We show that the balance of the two within a region affects the formation of the local model of regionalism. We further reveal different trajectories of the dynamics of regionalism: its “elitization” in the Republic of Tatarstan and its “marginalization” in Sverdlovsk Oblast. We conclude that the regionalist discourse in Russia remains mainly in the sphere of symbolic representation of regional features and identities.