Ethno-religious character of urban space in the context of social and cultural stability in an instable multi-ethnic region

The author considers the dynamics of ethno-religious interactions of representatives of different nationalities in the predominantly Russian-speaking regional community. As a result of establishing the North Caucasus Federal district, the local ethno-cultural and religious landscapes of the urban space of the Stavropol territory were reconfigured. According to sociological studies, due to qualitative changes in the structure of the ethno-religious landscape in the first decade of the twenty-first century, ethnicity and religiosity acquired a conflictogenic character and provoked ethno-confessional conflicts in the urban environment. The article shows that socio-cultural factors played a significant role among the conflict factors. First and foremost, it is the simplification of the education system, manifested in formation of unscholarly youth, and clericalization of the regional component in education leading to decline in teaching of the Russian language in the North Caucasus republics, to ethnic interpretations of historical events, to the increase of number of young people who do not know the state language. The decline in the level of education of some of the natives of the North Caucasian republics was manifested in the aggravation of interethnic and interfaith interactions between the indigenous inhabitants of the urban environment and natives of the republics of the North Caucasus. Destabilizing ethnoconfessional relations factor is the frequent use of the national (non-Russian) language in public places of traditionally Russian-speaking environment.The article reveals the joint activities of the authorities and civil society institutions, primarily diasporas and religious organizations, to give ethnicity and religiosity a peacemaking content, to ensure a conflict-free ethno- religious situation, to reduce tensions in the sphere of ethnic and religious relations. As a result of this work, socio- cultural stability was achieved in the urban space of the multi-ethnic region. At the same time, the study of the ethno-religious landscape of the urban environment indicates the presence of potential conditions for the emergence of new conflict-related threats, one of which may be neophism. This situation requires the development of a clear algorithm of actions to prevent radicalism among neophytes. The ethno-religious landscape of the urban space of the Stavropol territory is contradictory: socio-cultural stability in the multi-ethnic region is supported by joint actions of authorities and civil society institutions, but the mosaic of the ethno-religious landscape is used by radical forces to spread radicalism and ethno-confessional conflicts.