Yevgeniya Svatukhina on Vesti.FM: ‘Russian world’ concept as a tool for formation of civil identity

Russia is a multinational country, therefore the practice of state building inevitably encounters the problem of transferring different ethnic identities into a single, common civil identity. The role of such translators is usually played by the common for all the ethnic groups cultural background and historical context. And here, in our opinion, the concept of the ‘Russian world’ is applicable for the national policy building, an analyst of the news agency Vestnik Kavkaza, Yevgeniya Svatukhina said during the live broadcast of the National Question program on Vesti FM, speaking of one of the tools for building the national policy - the concept of the ‘Russian world’.

The National Question program is a weekly program on Vesti.FM, during which various aspects of national relations, primarily in Russia, are discussed. Today's program was dedicated to the issue of combining the national identity and pride for a region with a sense of belonging to a large country and a single people.

"Despite the fact that the subject of the Russian emigration and problem of the formation of the Russian civilization began to be developed in the 19th century, by now, the Russian social science society has not developed the concept of the ‘Russian world’’’,  she said.

"Nevertheless, the researchers, who deal with this problem, note that ‘Russian’ in the title indicates the historical roots of the community, and the word ‘world’ means the whole world and all people. There are two basic elements in the concept- Russia and Russian abroad ", the analyst told.

"An interesting example of the definition of the modern interpretation of the ‘Russian world’ is given by the famous historian Natalia Narochnitskaya, who emphasized the correlation of the individual and historical context: ‘’The Russian world is not only Russia and Russians in the world history, it is a link in time and space, in life and  consciousness of those who are united by a sense of ownership of the whole long history of Russia with its ups and downs, sins, delusions and troubles. The Russian world is ourselves in the world and in our Russian view of it, " Yevgenya Svatukhina said.

"At present, the concept of the ‘Russian world’ has the serious prospects for development on a global scale, and therefore the scientific comprehension of this concept, taking into account the factors of the rapidly changing political situation, is now especially important," Yevgeniya Svatukhina concluded.