Ethnic identity of the Russians and the Chechens in the context of historical memory (comparative analysis)

The article shows that the historical memory is one of the dominant features of national unity. The core of Chechens ethnic identity is Islam, while the identity of the citizens of St. Petersburg is based equally both on the ethnic and territorial affiliation. The idea of native land equally consolidates the Chechens and the Russians. This fact is the evidence of the influence of geographical determinism in the group consciousness. The victorious wars are the core of the historical process for the survey participants in both cities: Saint Petersburg and Grozny. History is perceived here primarily as a political process. The Chechen conflict causes negative emotions among the majority of respondents in Grozny while the revival of Chechnya after the conflict, its return to the Russian political field is positively estimated by all respondents.