“The Power of Traditions”: Neotribalist Meanings and Politics in the Republics of the Russian Far Eastern Federal District

Abstract

The framing of political discourse in neotribalist terms has become a common feature in two Russian regions of the Far Eastern Federal District—Yakutia and Buryatia. This phenomenon is peculiar because the references to “political clans” in these contexts are replaced by references to local cultural traditions. Tribal identity as a political factor should not be criticized but encouraged. The origins of this phenomenon are usually sought in the local specifics and the cultural practices described by anthropologists and ethnographers. This study shows that the language of neotribalism is modern, appearing in response to current demands, and that the government plays a central role in its formation and maintenance. I analyze various sources with the goal of describing the language of neotribalism and understanding the origins of its existence. I find that the regional authorities are one of the main actors representing neotribalist meanings, which are part of the more general discourse of neotraditionalism. The content that they create and reproduce identifies tribalism as a valuable local tradition. Mass media picks up and disseminates the idea of the tribal structure of local society as a resonating topic. As a result, many texts appear, where the state itself is considered in a neotribalist space, and the popularity of this model of describing politics directly depends on the activity of the authorities in supporting neotraditionalist discourse.