The process of search of the foundations of the Russian national identity after the 2014’th: the context of the Frontier Studies

Abstract

The author applies to the data of sociological research and resumes that the modern collective identity of the Russia’s citizens is actually based on the Soviet system of values. It is noted that the events of the post-Soviet history could not provide the Russian society with new reasons for unification into a political nation So the events of the Soviet history are the key markers of national pride and the basic foundations of the Russia’s civil nation. Judging upon the recent events the Russia’s citizens confess that they are proud just of the accession of the Crimea and the success of the armed forces. At the same time by the 2014’th many Russians used to feel that the civil identity is territorialized in the state borders of Russia. Whereas in 1990-ies many citizens claimed that Russia has symbolic connection with the post-Soviet space itself.

It is noted in the article that unification of Russia with Crimea in 2014 coincided with the request of the Russian society to search for the glorious reasons for collective pride. In the narrative of “returning Crimea to home”, there was an agreement on the willingness of many citizens to abandon imperial sentiments regarding the post-Soviet space and their sense of the key role for the modern Russian identity of the role of the Soviet heritage.