Ethno-National Identity in the North Caucasus: Examining Place and Homeland in the Identity Constructions of the Young Generation
Issue Date
2010-06-14Author
Thelen, Austen
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
219 pages
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
M.A.
Discipline
Geography
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This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
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Show full item recordAbstract
The dynamic landscape and historical legacies of the North Caucasus make it one of the world's most diverse and interesting regions. Throughout the region's history, its changing political geographies have worked to influence local constructs of identity and place. The younger generation today inhabits the North Caucasus in the context of Russian Ethno-Federalism, providing a variety of meanings regarding ethno-national groups and their territories. My aim is to explore how place factors into the construction of ethno-national identity by examining the concept of "homeland" (rodina) and the meanings associated with several place-based and traditional identity factors among young adults in Stavropol Krai and Karachay-Cherkessia. I utilized statistical analyses of survey data and a cognitive mapping exercise to identify significant differences regarding conceptions of place and ethno-national identity among groups of participants based on nationality, religion, and other factors. Using interview data and theory, I explain why these differences exist.
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