Historical and modern personality and image as an element of symbolic ethno-national capital of the Republic of Mordovia (2014-2019)

Introduction. Active promotion and positioning of the regions is a condition of their competitiveness, which actualizes the study of imaging practices aimed at creating an attractive image of the territory for various target groups: from federal elites and large businesses to tourists, highly skilled migrants, and the population. The image is based on symbolic capital, which is unique for each region. For Mordovia as a Finno-Ugric Republic in Russia, being unique is associated, firstly, with the use of ethnic symbols (elements of a national costume, Moksha / Erzia embroidery, musical instruments, dishes of national cuisine, etc.). These ethnic symbols actualize “ethnic” memory, national traditions and customs. Secondly, it is associated with the inclusion in the information space of the symbols of regional “pride”, such as “successful” fellow country people, whose positive image stimulates the processes of consolidation and identification. The purpose of this article is to study historical and modern personalities and images used in the formation of image-based visualizations of the Republic of Mordovia. Materials and methods. The methodology was based on the hermeneutic, axiological and communication paradigms. Among the applied methods such focus groups were included into the research as “Image of the Republic of Mordovia: symbols, brands, images”; content analysis of foreign, federal and regional mass media, which chronologically reviewed the publications from 2014 to 2019, etc. Results and discussion. The most recognizable historical characters of Mordovia who resonate with the audience are F. Ushakov, S. Erzia, M. Devyataev. Among contemporaries whose images can present the region, there are the representatives of the politicals (V. D. Volkov, N. I. Merkushkin, P. N. Tultaev) and sports (O. Kaniskina, V. Borchin, S. Kirdyapkin). Conclusion. Using famous names that have a weak or implicit reference to the territory does not always lead to a positive emotional response (especially among visitors), which ultimately reduces the significance of this symbolic element for the republican image and strengthens its counter-narrativeness.