Patriotism in the structure of national-state identity of Russian youth

The article is concerned with the place and specificity of patriotism in the value architecture of the national-state identity of Russian youth. It was stayed that patriotism in the structure of the national-state identity of young Russians is characterized by extreme variability, a variety of its possible models and manifestations. There were identified four most significant variations of patriotic identity among young Russians: “great-power”, “critical”, “cultural-historical” and “stereotypical”. The first - the “great power” - variation of patriotism is based on distinct reminiscent imperatives of perception of geopolitical reality. It presupposes the presence in the minds of young people of positive image of Russia’s past, as a rule, adjacent to the image of a geopolitical “enemy”. The second, cultural and historical variation also involves an emphasis on the image of Russia’s past. But at the same time, representatives of the segment of “cultural and historical patriots” are more distanced from politics and focus on the cultural and scientific achievements of Russia, which cause them a sense of pride. The third variation - “critical patriotism” - is characterized by a high degree of critical rationalization of Russian political reality. The fourth variation - “stereotypical” patriotism - is characterized by the reproduction of well-known facts and stereotypes about Russia, mainly historical and geographical.