Territorial Identity: A Comparative Analysis of the Saratov Region and the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria

Abstract

This paper presents a sociological analysis of the phenomenon of “territorial identity” which is assumed to shape the socio-political, socio-cultural, and socio-economic agenda in Russian regions. It reveals the identities existing at different territorial levels and the degree of the emotional attachment of people living in different regions to specific local and territorial communities. The findings provide grounds for understanding the processes, means, and mechanisms which shape intra-regional, pan-national, and inter-state identities. The paper also shows how local identities are labelled and identified in relation to the hierarchy of political, ethnic-social, and socioeconomic levels of identity. The symbolic and value aspects of territorial identity are revealed. This enables an assessment of the potential to mobilize the economic, social-political, and ethno-cultural resources of the population. The paper also traces the factors influencing the reproduction of ethnic-cultural identity in the context of the social transformation and the mechanisms of its re-institutionalization in Russia’s modern history. It is based on data collected in 2020–2021 as part of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) project “Territorial Identity: Factors, Mechanisms and Tools of Formation (Comparative Analysis of the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia” (Grant No. 20-511-07004). This specific paper is based on the comparative analysis of cases of Kabardino-Balkaria and the Saratov Region.