Ethnic identity as a concept

Ethnic identity is a self-image formed by a person when he realizes his own involvement in a particular social group, i.e. In the process of socialization. Speech in this case is about belonging to a national-ethnic community. Such awareness, of course, does not happen by itself, but it is tied to the surrounding reality. Therefore, in cases of growing up and socialization of a person in an ethnically mixed environment, finding an identity is often difficult or differentiated, that is, it does not have a clear link to a single nationality or culture.

Ethnic identity is extremely important for the acquisition of people by a social community. On its basis identity is formed, which allows members of a particular social group to distinguish themselves from others, provides a need for protection and, if necessary, mobilizes on ethnic grounds.

Another basic concept is ethnic self-awareness. This is the basic concept, from which ethnic identity comes out. It is quite difficult to separate these two categories. Ethnic is a form of social consciousness characterized by belonging to one or another ethno-cultural space. The very concept of "ethnos" implies in the everyday life the totality of national and cultural traditions, rituals, manners, way of life and specific folklore.

The formation of ethnic identity is greatly influenced by state ideology, as well as socio-political ideas formed by the elite of the ethnos. An example is the change in the representations of the majority of the peoples of the USSR in the 1980s and 1990s under the influence of the leaders of national movements. Investigating this phenomenon, scientists even introduced the term "imposed ethnicity."

Ethnic identity, according to ethnopsychologists, can be differentiated in seven different types. A normal type of identity characterizes a positive attitude towards the image of its people, its culture and values. Ethnocentric - has elements of closure, exaggerated value of ethnicity and uncritical attitude towards it. Ethnomonitoring type is characterized by ideas about the superiority of one's nation and discrimination of other nations. Ethnic fanaticism is the complete and absolute dominance of ethnic interests, readiness for sacrifice for their sake.

Other types are ethnoindifferent (indifferent to the values and problems of ethnos), ethnonigilism (complete denial of such values) and ambivalent. The latter type has a pronounced identity (sometimes double), which is often the case in a mixed environment.

An equally important part of self-awareness is civil identity, that is, awareness of one's involvement in the communication of a particular state. Civil identification is necessary for the formation in the human mind of the socio-legal status and correlation of the declared status with the real one. To create and maintain it, a well-thought-out legal policy of state structures is needed. This formation is particularly difficult in a multinational state. Each state in this matter has its own unique experience.

In Russia, with its multinational way of life, the ethnic identity of the Russians is quite distinct from the state identity. The reasons for this are many - from the imperial past to the numerous historical upheavals of the Soviet era. Such concepts as the ethnos and the nation, for a long time inferior in the public consciousness of our fellow citizens to the concepts of statehood and the social values of the Soviet system.

Many researchers agree that the Russian national idea should be free from imperial attitudes and narrow national interests and should represent a search for new ways of coexistence of numerous nationalities of the Russian state in order to overcome economic crises and reflect external threats.