Models of unity of the peoples of Russia in the historical and civilizational dimension

Purpose. To identify the conceptual foundations for ensuring the unity of the peoples of Russia on the basis of a historical and civilizational analysis of models of state and sociocultural integration.

Procedures and Methods. The methodological basis of the study is formed by a combination of civilizational, comparative, and historical-intellectual approaches.

Results. The article examines the methodological polemic between constructivism and essentialism in the perspective of forming a unified methodology for Russia’s national policy. Models of sociocultural state-building are identified and described, including monocultural, polycultural, multicultural, intercultural, transcultural, and metacultural models. The study analyzes eleven approaches to ensuring the unity of the peoples of Russia, historically generated in Russian state and public thought. With regard to Russian state-building, the advantage of the civilizational model over the nation-state model is substantiated. It is shown that the stability of the unity of the peoples of Russia presupposes the preservation of ethnic diversity, the existence of a Russian civilization-forming core, and a two-level structure of identity.

Theoretical and/or Practical Significance. The results of the study may be used in the conceptual development of the foundations of state national policy, in the implementation of the Strategy of the State National Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2036, and in the education system when forming ideas about Russia as a state-civilization. The proposed conclusions are significant for developing the worldview foundations of the unity of the peoples of Russia and for countering destructive ideological approaches associated with both ethnic nationalism and unifying globalism.

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