IDENTITY POLICY AT NATIONAL LEVEL AS A THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT AND REAL PRACTICE: EXPERT ASSESSMENTS ATTEMPT

O. V. Popova

Olga V. Popova, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education «St. Petersburg State University", Universitetskaya naberezhnaya, 7–9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia. E‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. ORCID 0000-0002-0701-7767

Acknowledgements. The research was carried out through the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Expert Institute for Social Research”, No. 19–011–31616 (State Policy in the Field of Formation of Identity: Conceptual Foundations, Technologies and Prospects).

Abstract. The article highlights the interpretation of the phenomenon of state identity policy by Russian political scientists. The expert survey conducted by method of informal interview of leading Russian scientists during summer — fall 2019 yielded valuable information showing a range of research positions regarding the understanding of this phenomenon as a theoretical construct and a component of real politics. Review of the positions of Russian political scientists on the mechanism, technologies, factors and criteria for assessing the effectiveness of the state identity policy, the importance of embedding informal practices in relevant state programs, and the responsibility of political elites for maintaining the unity of the nation is presented. Historical examples, which, according to scientists, reflect the most successful projects for the formation of national-state identity, are of interest. A range of issues has been identified on which experts have the most different approaches, including the following: the correctness of the terminological apparatus (“national-state identity”, “state identity”, “civic identity”, etc.); position of state identity policy in modern Russia; the factors of differentiation of its results in various constituent entities of the Russian Federation; the presence/absence of the need for the political elite to choose focus on "civilian" or "ethnic" projects; the risks of implementation of memory policy with deliberate glossing over important historical facts or their "crafty" interpretations, which in the case of changes in the political situation may lead to disastrous political consequences. Noteworthy is the position of Russian scientists regarding the elite strategy in shaping the “we” and “they” images in the framework of developing the state identity policy, the choice of non-state actors in its implementation and the resolution of the distribution of financial, organizational and technical resources. The author believes that, despite the divergence of the views of scientists on some issues, their theoretical developments can significantly contribute to an accurate understanding of the reasons for success/ failure in the implementation of the state identity policy.

Keywords: identity policy, state, political elites, mechanisms, factors, technologies, practices of implementing state identity policy

DOI: 10.31429/26190567-20-4-74-91