Bederson Vsevolod
https://doi.org/10.17506/ryipl.2016.1.3391
Abstract: This article is a summary of the results of research of personalized images (images of historical personalities), which are in use by the regional political elites for the purposes of identity policy. Such images are understood as personalistic identifiers, i.e. identities policy’s elements, on the one hand, and region identification matrix elements, on the other hand. The study is based on discourse-analysis of materials from 83 regions of the Russian Federation, which allows formulating the key comparative characteristics of personalistic identifiers: the degree (“low”, “medium”, “high”), and nature (institutional and sub-institutional) of discursive stability’s personalistic identifier. Classification is based on the type of personalistic identifier’s ties with the region’s identifier (“a great son”; “pioneer”; “the governor-nostalgia”; “educator”; “personalities embodying the reflection about any traumatic period for the region [regional community]”; “Hero” of Golden Age”). The dominant discourse produced by regional elites through personalist identifier (unification discourse, particularization, uniqueness) is studied; the strategy of the regional political elites in relation to specific identifiers (legitimation strategy and strategy of forced identification) is observed; the tool, which updates personalistic identifiers of regional elites (nominations, monumentalization and ritualization) is identified.
Keywords: identity policy, regional identity, personalistic identifier.