Peculiarities of Ethnic and Civil Identity of Kumandin Adolescents

Participating in the study as respondents were: 79 Kumandin adolescents (35 girls and 44 boys) and 92 adolescents of other nationalities (61 girls and 31 boys among whom Russians were the majority, 94%). All participants were the students of secondary schools of the city of Biysk, and Krasnogorskiy and Soltonskiy districts (Altai Krai, Russia). To diagnose the characteristics of civic identity of adolescents, a set of appropriate methods were used to assess the various components and manifestations of civic and ethnic identity in their relationship to each other: Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) by J. Finney, the scale of civic identity as patriotism and nationalism from the International Social Survey (ISSP), S. McFarland's Human Identification Scale, adapted by T.A. Nestik. The purpose of this study was to analyze the features of the ethnic and civil identity of Kumandin adolescents in comparison with the corresponding types of identity among adolescents of other nationalities. Literature review revealed the complexity and inconsistency of factors that are important for the ethnic identity of Kumandin adolescents. It was assumed that ethnic and civic identities were less closely connected in Kumandin adolescents in comparison with representatives of other nationalities (mainly Russians), this hypothesis was not confirmed. The results of the study allowed us to conclude that despite the decrease in the number of Kumandins and their close cultural interaction with other peoples, Kumandin adolescents demonstrate a relatively high level of ethnic identity. At the same time, a pronounced ethnic identity does not contradict, but harmoniously combines in Kumandin adolescents with the experience of closeness to representatives of other peoples of Russia, which provides a solid foundation for the formation of civic identity. The relatively high level of ethnic and civic identity of Kumandin adolescents does not confirm concerns about the formation of national self-consciousness among children from indigenous peoples. However, further research requires important questions about the life manifestations and consequences of the identity of Kumandin adolescents.