Anton Popov

Ethnic discrimination and the discourse of "indigenization" : the regional regime, "indigenous majority" and ethnic minorities in Krasnodar Krai in Russia

To many in both the East and the West it seemed axiomatic that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was due to “nationality reasons,” which were viewed as a natural process in the last empire’s decline. Then, during the democratic reform of a totalitarian state, ethnic minority rights were first spoken of, and the growth of national self-awareness appeared to be an integral part of society’s liberalization. Time has since shown that liberal changes in the economy and in the political and social spheres are not always accompanied by the establishment of social justice; indeed, it has frequently been minorities who are among the most unfortunate and marginalized groups in society. Defending the rights of minorities and combating ethnic and racial discrimination remains one of the most relevant issues in practically all post-socialist countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern and Central Europe. This article addresses the problem of ethnic discrimination and xenophobia in Krasnodar Krai, one of Russia’s regions located in the northern Caucasus. Its aim is not only to inform the reader of the position of ethnic minorities in the region and about the policies of the regional regime that violates minority rights but also to indicate the discourses (academic, legislative, media) within which ethnic discrimination is (re)created, justified, and accepted or rejected by the population, including ethnic minorities themselves. The paper consists of three parts. It begins with a general discussion of theoretical or conceptual questions related to ethnic minorities issues. Of special attention is the relevance of international practices of multiculturalism and the discourse of minority rights to post-socialist societies, including partly in Russia. The second part deals with specific problems of ethnic minorities in the region. It focuses on socio-political and academic discourses that assist the regional “nationalities policy” in Krasnodar Krai. The third part examines the specific case

Making sense of the ‘difficult’ past: transmission of political heritage and memory‐work among young people across Europe

This article considers young peoples socialization into mnemonic communities in 14 European countries. It argues that such socialization is an intersubjective and selective process that, to a great degree, depends on the particular social environment that conditions the discourses on pasts available to young people. Drawing on memory studies, it recognizes memory as a valid alternative to the institutionalized past (history) but envisages the two as inextricably connected. Given this, it identifies several strategies adopted by young people in order to socialize understandings of the past. While these strategies vary, some reveal receptivity to populist and far right ideologies. Our study demonstrates how internalization of political heritage via mnemonic socialization within families is conditioned by both the national political agenda and socio-economic situation experienced across Europe.

Re-making a Frontier Community or Defending Ethnic Boundaries? The Caucasus in Cossack Identity

Abstract The essay focuses on the notion of the Caucasus as a reference point in the construction of Cossack identity in southern Russia. Since the late Soviet period, the Cossack revivalist/nativist movement has emerged in the territories which constituted the frontier zones of Tsarist Russia. Arguably, the historical Cossack hosts were established as a kind of frontier community which played an important role in the expansion of the Russian Empire. This essay examines how post-Soviet Cossacks reinterpret the meanings of the Caucasus as a spatial and cultural realm where, or in relation to which, they produce their identity as a distinct ethnic and cultural community.

Re-enacting “Cossack roots”: embodiment of memory, history, and tradition among young people in southern Russia

This article draws upon ethnographic research which was conducted among young Cossacks (members of officially registered and informal Cossack clubs) in southern Russia. It presents young people’s participation in the Cossack “nativism” as a physical and material mode of socialization into the mnemonic community. The research puts forward an argument that such corporal and sensorial experiences is effective in recruiting some young members to the Cossack movement. At the same time, the performative character of neo-Cossack identity destabilizes contemporary Cossacks’ claims of authenticity related to the status of the legitimate heirs of historical Cossackdom. At the more general level of discussion this paper juxtaposes bodily activities, social memory, and revivalist discourses.