1. Modernization of Mari ethnic identity in the Russian context
Elena Vedernikova, University of Helsinki
Results
Mari people have two identities: ethnic Mari and ethnic national Russian.
Development of Mari ethnic identity
Development of ethnic national Russian identity
Background and purpose
Maris belong to the Volgaic branch in the Uralic family. The homeland of Maris is the Mari El region (Russia). The total number of Mari is 550,000.
Goal of research is presentation of results of Mari ethnic identity study based on the Sign Theory of Identity (STI) by M.Ehala (2007; 2015). According to STI, collective identity, as a social sign, has dual characteristics (macro level): signal (features, by which identity is empirically perceivable) and meaning (a continuum of a socially set of core values). At the micro level collective identity is the association an individual has to a particular collective identity.
Concepts of identities (Ehala 2015):
Ethnic Ethnic national
Homeland
Common descent
Language Language
Culture Culture
Religion Sovereignty
Materials and Methods
Research is based on the quantitative and qualitative data collected at fieldworks in Mari El (Russia) in 2013 and 2014.
Methods: survey questioning (N=115) and interviewing (N=27) about the role of religion, culture and language in Mari people's lives.
Conclusion
Maris have ethnic Mari and ethnic Russian national identities. While the former transformed from ethnic national Mari identity in the eighteenth century, the latter evolved from Russian linguistic identity via strengthening of civic national Russian identity in the last century (Soviet policy). Due to the absence of clear distinction between ethnic national and civic national identities, probability of their blurring is increased.
Maris have a positive attachment to the Russian language and culture (a feature of their being core values) as it is associated with progress. Switching from one language to another for the Mari is somehow changing of ethnic identities. Language shifting gradually erodes ethnic Mari identity, which manifests itself in ethnic assimilation.
References
Ehala, M. (2007) Etnolingvistilise arengu ökoloogia: teesid. Akadeemia 3:
Ehala, M. (2015) Blurring of identities in post-Soviet space. Sociolinguistics studies 9: