Conceptual and symbolic perception of the Homeland concept by Russians

The article analyzes the ideas of Russians about the Homeland and the conceptual and symbolic associations. This topic is mainly studied within the framework of the analysis of the concept of ‘small motherland’, the development of a program for patriotic education of young people and strengthening the civil identity of Russians. The research methodology is based on the use of secondary data from the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, as well as some results of the study of the state of civil identity in the Republic of Bashkortostan within the framework of the projects “Peculiarities of the formation of civil identity of Russians in a multiethnic region (on the example of the Republic of Bashkortostan)” in 2016 (sample size 1000 people) and “Communicative mechanisms of social construction of civil identity of Russians” in 2019 (sample size 751 people). Some trends in the interpretation of the Homeland concept have been recorded. Russians tend to define their homeland through the place where they were born, where their father’s house is located. It is especially characteristic for respondents of the older group to identify this concept with a small homeland, while young people and residents of megacities demonstrate more cosmopolitan attitudes. A certain proportion of respondents associate the concept of homeland with personal well-being. The symbolic perception of the homeland largely coincides with the residents of the Russian Federation: politicians and classic writers are most often heard as personalities associated with Russia. The conceptual and symbolic representation of the homeland is one of the aspects in the study of civil identity, the construction of which is primarily aimed at the formation of a behavioral component in its structure. The proposed results can be used in the educational process and by the authorities in the development of management decisions.