The ethno-confessional aspect of the social component of the "sustainable development of rural areas" concept in a multi-ethnic Russian region (a case study of the Republic of Bashkortostan)

The article aims to analyze the ethno-confessional aspect of the implementation of the socio-humanitarian component of the concept of «sustainable development of rural areas» in relation to one Russian multiethnic region as well as to develop specific methods for its implementation. The author proposes a definition of the concept focusing on its socio-humanitarian component. Sustainable development of rural areas is understood as a targeted and systemic process organized by government agencies, businesses and civil society institutions, based on economically efficient and environmentally optimal agrarian reproduction, through a balanced development of villages, including balanced socio-economic development, in order to achieve a high-quality and continuously improving way of life, while preserving and reviving traditional ethno-cultural and ethno-religious values, harmonizing interethnic and interconfessional relations. The ethno-confessional aspect of the social content of the phenomenon of «sustainable development of rural areas» is studied using the example of one of the most multi-ethnic and multi-confessional regions of Russia - the Republic of Bashkortostan. This region is the leader in Russia in terms of ethnic mosaicism of the population and high dispersion of ethnic groups, including in rural areas. With regard to the implementation of the ethnic aspect of the «sustainable development of rural areas» concept, the following activities are proposed: promotion of ethnocultural activities carried out in villages by various amateur public organizations and associations; revival of the study of national languages in the rural education system; organization of regular ethnic holidays, festivals, competitions of ethnic songs, dances, and other similar ethnocultural events in villages. The implementation of the confessional aspect of the concept under study involves the following: revival of traditional religious organizations through the registration and construction of churches; legalization of benefits and preferences for rural religious communities; special educational programs for the targeted training of ministers of traditional confessions according to the «rural priest» principle; propaganda of traditional ethnoreligious values among the inhabitants of a given region and comprehensive support for these values.