The ethno-symbolic approach to identity

The purpose of the article is to analyze the group identity from the point of view of the ethno-symbolic approach of A.D. Smith and F. Barth. These researchers answer the question about what the formation of the group is based on. The basis of this approach is that there are symbolic elements of culture - symbols, myths and communications that form the identity. This complex is mediated by symbolic interaction, a type of communication with symbols, and communication as the way by which these symbols act. This approach is in demand for understanding the identity of polyvalent ethnic groups, in which both the social and ethnocultural components dominate. This means that ethnic identity is a node of changing interactions, but is neither a nuclear component of social organization nor a separate timeless essence.