Regional identity in the focus of sociological analysis

The aim of the present study is to analyze regional identity from the viewpoint of sociology. The attempt to systematize the experience of studying local identity by modern foreign and national researchers has been made. Definitions of regional identity and its main elements, factors and conditions of formation are specified. Some elements of this type of territorial self-identification are characterized: region, regional community, ‘image of the Other’, regional space, regional elites. The main indicators of regional identity used in sociological tools (the applied methods are mass surveys, expert interviews, observations) are made more precise. The issue of a relation between civil, ethnic and regional identities is considered. The conclusion is made about the relevance of studying regional identity in the conditions of modern development of Russia and the prospects for the evolution of scientific knowledge (both sociological and interdisciplinary studies). Heuristic nature of using frame analysis in regional identity research is revealed.