Description
Book SynopsisHow are youth cultural identities rooted in gender, ethnicity and place? What resources do young people from ethnic minorities use in creating their cultural identities? Drawing upon interdisciplinary research, Ulrike Ziemer's case study demonstrates the different ways in which young people from ethnic minorities respond to the social, political, and cultural transformations of post-Soviet Russia and provides a detailed analysis of how local vs. global relations are experienced outside the West. Relying on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, Ziemer explores the complex processes of identity formation and cultural experiences among young Armenians in Krasnodar krai and young Adyghs in the Republic of Adyghea. Both ethnic groups, Armenians and Adyghs, have a minority status in Russia, yet Adyghs are indigenous to the region while Armenians constitute a diaspora people. Ulrike Ziemer is the first to examine specifically Armenian and Adygh youth identities in the context of everyday life experiences in post-Soviet Russia.
Trade Review"This is a very valuable contribution to the growing stock of literature on Russian youth. [...] the well-designed comparative setting and a skilful exploitation and analysis of the ethnographic data makes this book an extremely timely and interesting account of the construction of identity of Russian youth. It will be of interest to specialists in that field and everyone interested in the way the new generation in Russia actually experiences the much debated political developments." -- Felix Krawatzek, Oxford University, Europe-Asia Studies: Volume 65/10
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Glossary of Abbreviations and Terms Foreword, by Anoop Nayak Introduction 1. Framing Youth Identities in Russia: The State, Ethnicity and Belonging 2. Ethnocentric Politics in the (Post-)Soviet Context: A Regional Perspective 3. Narratives of Translocation, Dislocation and Location 4. Gendered Armenian and Adygh Identities 5. Situating Youth Cultural Practices and Experiences in the Local Context 6. Conclusion: Youth Cultural Identities Revisited Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Bibliography
