Abstract

In discussions on the way of development of Russia’s nationhood there appears a certain discourse core whose frames are defined by tree ideological disruptions: «Russia’s civilization – Russian civilization», «Eurasianism – Atlanticism», «historical mission of the Russian people as a bearer of collective identity – tolerant world «. Certain events and facts of Russia’s history become the empirical grounds for these discussions, these empirical grounds reflecting a historical way of Russia’s nation development. The aim of the present article is to analyze the process of Russia’s identity formation in the historical and cultural context. For this purpose we apply the methodology which combines the method of culture studies analysis proposed by V. M. Rozin and M. A. Rozov’s theory of social relays. The choice of this methodology is stipulated by disruptions in Russia’s history. Owing to the application of this combined method we establish a tendency representing the process of Russia’s identity formation. Russia’s civilization is determined by two characteristics: the civilization is «wider» that Russian culture in social space, but «shorter» in historical time. Hybrid identity localized within the borders of Russia’s civilization is determined by the very course of Russia’s historical development. The ontological foundation of Russia’s type of hybrid identity is composed of the following binary oppositions: «confrontment – unity», «tradition – renewal». The components of this identity type can be distinguished: the individual’s belonging to a specific sociocultural area, the individual’s belonging to a sociocultural community, which has an ability to integrate sociocultural areas; the third component is determined by globalization processes observed in mass culture. The conclusion is made that under contemporary conditions a new identity type is being formed, which cannot satisfy the unity of the whole sociocultural space of the country as it used to do in the years of Soviet power.