"Sibiriak": Community, Nationality, or "State of Mind"?
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Abstract
The concept of social identity is being reconsidered in the social sciences due to transformations undergone by (post)modern societies, such as globalization, localization, and the intensification of global migration. In this context, the Siberian identity (being “Sibiriak”) is an interesting object of research for it reflects the cultural, political, and economic effects of globalization and localization, as well as transformations in individual self-perception. This paper demonstrates that Siberian identity is not only a personal matter but also a new type of social solidarity and political claim.
Using an actionist approach to identity studies, this article explores the core elements and “versions” of Siberian identity, the contexts of its formation and actualization, and regional variations in its manifestations. Two manifestations of Siberian identity—the “Siberian character” and the “Siberian civic nationhood”—are discussed, key dimensions of their actualization (territorial, ethnic, and political) are described, and regional differences in the actualization of identities are analyzed. We conclude by suggesting that the study of Siberian identity highlights the need for, and the value of, the constructionist perspective in the analysis of regional identities in mobile, “resettlement” societies. In Russian, extended summary in English.
Keywords
Social Identity, Regional Identity, Siberia, Identity Politics
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Alla Anisimova, Novosibirsk State University, Department of Sociology
Alla Anisimova earned a Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Lancaster in 1995. She is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology of Novosibirsk State University, where she teaches sociology of organizations. She has published a number of articles on organizational culture and cross-cultural communication in international companies in Russia. In 2005, together with Olga Echevskaya, she initiated and headed a three-year international educational research project, “Social Identities in Transforming Societies,” supported by the Open Society Institute. Her current research examines notions of Siberian regional identity as social and cultural phenomena.Olga Echevskaya, Novosibirsk State University, Department of Sociology; Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science
Olga Echevskaya received her degree of Candidate of Sciences in sociology in 2010 from Novosibirsk State University. She currently holds the position of associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Novosibirsk State University, teaching courses on cultural studies, identity studies, sociology of consumption, and computer-assisted analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. In 2005, together with Alla Anisimova, she initiated and coordinated a three-year international educational research project, “Social Identities in Transforming Societies,” supported by the Open Society Institute. She has published a monograph Consumption and Distinction: Meanings and Practices of Consumption in Russian Cities (Novosibirsk: Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2011) and series of articles on social inequalities and consumption, poverty, and regional identities. She is also working as a researcher at the Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering (Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch), participating in research projects on social inequality, poverty, social mobility, regional identities, and cross-border relations in the region of southern Siberia.