Actors of Local Identity Formation and Their Resource Potential | South-Russian Journal of Social Sciences
Actors of Local Identity Formation and Their Resource Potential
Vol. 25 (2024) No. 1, Identity Politics
Vol. 25 (2024) No. 1
Identity Politics

Actors of Local Identity Formation and Their Resource Potential

Rusiya N.T.
Kuban State University
ORCID ID 0000-0001-5852-3574
PDF (Russian)
https://doi.org/10.31429/26190567-25-1-48-65
https://doi.org/10.31429/26190567-25-1-48-65

How to Cite Array

Rusiya N.T. (2024) Actors of Local Identity Formation and Their Resource Potential. South-Russian Journal of Social Sciences, 25 (1), pp. 48-65. DOI: 10.31429/26190567-25-1-48-65 (In Russian)
Submission Date 2023-11-10
Accepted Date 2024-01-23
Published Date 2024-03-29

Copyright (c) 2024 Натэлла Тенгизовна Русия

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

In the current context of political and social transformations, it is becoming increasingly important for many people to search for a comprehensible system of coordinates and a meaningful set of reference points. The concept of local identity, defined as an individual’s sense of belonging to their place of residence, plays a significant role in shaping the subjectivity of local communities engaged in addressing issues related to territorial development. The self-identification of an individual at the local level is crucial in shaping the motivation to solve problems of public importance for the territory and in establishing guidelines for the development of the local community. The objective of this paper is to identify and describe the actors of identity politics at the local level and assess their resource potential. The research argues that local identity politics is defined by its multi-­subject nature. The actors in this process include local self-government bodies, businesses and entrepreneurs, political parties and socio-­political movements, ethnic communities and diaspora associations, the media and blogosphere, cultural and educational networks (cultural and educational institutions), community leaders, civic organizations/associations, and religious organizations. The actors engaged in identity politics at the local level possess a set of resources that the author has classified into the following categories: conceptual, staff, administrative-­organizational, material and financial, informational, symbolic, and network. It was demonstrated that cultural and educational networks, community leaders, and diaspora associations in rural communities contribute significantly to the implementation of identity politics. In urban areas, the media is also a significant subject, while ethnic communities are less integrated into identity politics as an important participant.

Keywords

identity, identity politics, local identity, actors of identity politics, rural territories, urban territories

Acknowledgements

The study was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation and the Kuban Science Foundation within the framework of project No. 22-18-20059 “Policy for the development of rural areas of the Krasnodar Territory: the potential of intangible resources”.

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