Nation-Building and Common Values in Russia

by Pål Kolstø (Editor), Helge Blakkisrud (Editor), Aidar Enikeev (Contribution by), Ildar Gabdrafikov (Contribution by), Grigorii V. Golosov (Contribution by)

Overview

Vladimir Putin has explicitly based his nation-building initiatives on the assumption that there exists a vast pool of common values in Russia that cut across ethnic and regional divides. Nation-Building and Common Values in Russia explores whether Putin is correct in his assumption, and to what degree a 'commonality of values' among the citizens of a country is a crucial element in the establishment of a common identity among them. The study raises two basic questions: Which values are actually common among various groups in Russia's population? And which nation-building strategies are the Russian authorities actually pursuing, centrally and locally? Sociological and political approaches to the study of nation-building and national cohesion in Russia are employed to answer these questions, and the findings contribute to a better understanding of nation-building processes in post-Communist Russia in general and of Putin's strategies in particular.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742526655
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/10/2003
Pages:	390
Product dimensions:	6.24(w) x 9.28(h) x 1.28(d)

About the Author

POl Kolst' is professor of Russian and East European area studies, University of 'slo. Helge Blakkisrud is head of the Centre for Russian Studies, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Nation-Building in Russia: A Value-Oriented Strategy Chapter 2 Value Consensus and Social Cohesion in Russia Chapter 3 The Peculiarities of Nation-Building in the Republic of Komi Chapter 4 Bashkortostan: Preconditions and Prospects of Civic Integration in a Multiethnic Region Chapter 5 The Republic of Dagestan: Nation-Building inside Russia's Womb Chapter 6 The Lonely Heart of the World: Nation-Building and Common Values in Novosibirsk Oblast Chapter 7 Nation-Building and Common Values in St. Petersburg Chapter 8 Moscow's Values: The Masses and the Elite Chapter 9 Russian Regionalism Redefined? Nation-Building, Values and Federal Discourse Chapter 10 Nation-Building and Values in Russian Textbooks Chapter 11 Orthodoxy and Islam in Post-Soviet Russia: Opposing Confessional Cultures or Unifying Force? Chapter 12 Epilogue: Values and State Ideology in Post-Communist Russia Part 13 Appendix: Technical Specifications and Sample Design

Editorial Reviews

Rich in empirical details. The individual chapters provide well researched accounts of the value structures in different spheres of life and the relationship of these different spheres to the process of nation building in Russia.

Europe-Asia Studies - Neil Melvin

Each case study provides a useful historical and cultural context into which the data from the survey on values are fitted. Highly recommended.

Choice Reviews

This volume is excellent in that it considers identity-formation in some of the smaller and lesser-known regions. It also carefully and interestingly offers good descriptive evidence of key sources of both Russia's identity tensions and of its relative ethno-political stability. Particularly notable are interesting chapters on history textbooks and on the Orthodox and Islamic religious revival in post-Soviet Russia.

Nations and Nationalism - Liliana Riga

This book provides a useful assessment of the extent to which Russians and non-Russians share a common set of values, which in turn allows readers to get a sense of the extent to which the Russian government's efforts to create a common political identity for all inhabitants of the Russian Federation will be successful.

Slavic Review

Overall, it is well-written and well structured and provides an invaluable insight into the complexities of the Russian nation-building process.

Seer - J. Glenn

Rich in empirical details. The individual chapters provide well researched accounts of the value structures in different spheres of life and the relationship of these different spheres to the process of nation building in Russia.--Neil Melvin "Europe-Asia Studies "

This volume is excellent in that it considers identity-formation in some of the smaller and lesser-known regions. It also carefully and interestingly offers good descriptive evidence of key sources of both Russia's identity tensions and of its relative ethno-political stability. Particularly notable are interesting chapters on history textbooks and on the Orthodox and Islamic religious revival in post-Soviet Russia.--Liliana Riga, University of Strathclyde "Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 11 Part 3, July 2005 "

Overall, it is well-written and well structured and provides an invaluable insight into the complexities of the Russian nation-building process.--J. Glenn, University of Southampton "Seer "

From the Publisher

Each case study provides a useful historical and cultural context into which the data from the survey on values are fitted. Highly recommended.

Choice

Overall, it is well-written and well structured and provides an invaluable insight into the complexities of the Russian nation-building process.
— J. Glenn, University of Southampton

Seer

Rich in empirical details. The individual chapters provide well researched accounts of the value structures in different spheres of life and the relationship of these different spheres to the process of nation building in Russia.
— Neil Melvin

Europe-Asia Studies

Each case study provides a useful historical and cultural context into which the data from the survey on values are fitted. Highly recommended.

CHOICE