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Chronicles in Stone is a study of the powerful and pervasive myth of the Russian Northwest, its role in forming Soviet and Russian identities, and its impact on local communities. Combining detailed archival research, participant observation and oral history work, it explores the transformation of three northwestern Russian towns from provincial backwaters into the symbolic homelands of the Soviet and Russian nations.The book's central argument is that the Soviet state exploited the cultural heritage of the Northwest to craft patriotic narratives of the people's genius, heroism and strength that could bind the nation together after 1945. Through sustained engagement with local voices, it reveals the ways these narratives were internalized, revised, and resisted by the communities living in the region.Donovan provides an alternative lens through which to view the rise of Russian patriotic consciousness in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, adding a valuable regional dimension to our knowledge of Russian nation building and identity politics.

The article delves into the nuanced challenge of crafting a cohesive unionwide patriotic agenda amidst escalating global tensions fueled, in part, by value conflicts. It scrutinizes the emergence of a patriotic discourse intricately woven into the institutional fabric of the Union State, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Belarus, primarily steered by top political leadership at the domestic level. The overarching aim is to delineate the enduring themes and prevailing narratives within the political elites' patriotic discourse within the Union State, while exploring its potential conceptualization as a coordinating discourse to further integration objectives and as a countermeasure of "anti-soft power" against external value threats emanating from the collective West. Methodologically, the study draws upon discursive neo-institutionalism, employing qualitative content analysis of speeches delivered by the respective presidents of the two countries as its primary analytical approach.In the conclusions, the paper underscores the remarkable alignment between Russian and Belarusian stances on patriotic issues, particularly concerning their ideological underpinnings. Both underscore the imperative of safeguarding and preserving historical memory and traditional values as the cornerstone of their discourse. However, the analysis also sheds light on the conceptual complexities inherent in articulating sovereignty values by both participating countries. The practical implications underscore the necessity of further solidifying a shared socio-cultural space, harmonizing historical policies within both nations and within the Union State framework, and stimulating a "demand for integration" through the practical implementation of the principal directives outlined in the 2021 package of integration decisions.

Intro -- Preface -- Foreword -- I Introduction -- II Background and Context -- Focal Points and Sources -- The Soviet Collapse as Dislocation -- Dislocation in Youth Politics -- A New Order -- Securitization in Contemporary Russia -- Cultural Memory, Commemoration and Hegemony -- The 60th Anniversary of Victory -- Soviet and Russian Political Identities -- III Russia's Youth, the Orange Revolution, and Nashi -- Orange Revolution -- The Orange Revolution and Russia -- Taking Back the Streets -- Our Victory -- Patriotic Education -- The Manifesto -- Foreign Enemies -- Domestic Enemies

In the contemporary international arena, religion plays an increasingly pivotal role in shaping diplomatic strategies. This paper investigated the growing significance of Islam in shaping the foreign policy of the Russian Federation, aiming to examine the ways in which the religious factor is included in Russia's foreign policy and the tools the Russian Federation uses to defend its interests abroad through Islam. Our study, structured into three chapters, provided insights into the multifaceted role of religion in Russian foreign policy, as well as the specific ways in which the Islamic dimension influences it. Additionally, it presented selected activities carried out by Islamic religious organizations with the aim of supporting the country's foreign policy. We found that Russia integrates religious considerations into its diplomatic initiatives and employs Islam as a tool to advance its interests globally. Russian religious leaders, aligning with the country's rhetoric of patriotism, traditional values, and antagonism towards the West, play a crucial role in legitimizing domestic and foreign policy agendas and effectively complement state authorities involved in Russia's foreign policy. While the impact of Islam on Russia's foreign policy is significant, its evolving potential remains subject to ongoing developments and challenges. The compatibility of religious imperatives with the complexities of multi-religiosity and political elites within the Russian Federation continues to be a topic of exploration.

The article is devoted to the problem of spiritual and moral education of personality in the conditions of modern Russia. Some aspects of the existing meaning of life attitudes, spiritual and moral characteristics of society are considered, ways of solving problems of a legal and moral nature in conditions of social changes are proposed. Particular attention is paid to examining the relationship between morality, law and patriotism in the system of personal perception. In modern conditions, great attention must be paid to monitoring the spiritual and moral characteristics of Russian society, its moral and ethical state. Specific data from such studies will make it possible to draw a conclusion taking into account specific territories, forming a visual "matrix" with territories where improvements are needed in relation to spiritual and moral values. The results of sociological research will help to see exactly where such work is needed. This is especially true of patriotic education, forms and methods, according to which it is recommended to carry out this kind of activity. In the process of creating methods, it is necessary to abandon the experience of building patriotism based on ineffective measures, without taking into account the historical specifics and specific statistics. It is important to take into account the situation on the ground, public opinion, the presence or absence of a systemic crisis, the situation in the field of human rights. In addition, it would be very useful to create patriotic applications on smartphones, where it would be possible, in a game or other form of active interaction, to gain knowledge about Russian history, heroic deeds of the past, and about the prospects for people with developed moral and ethical qualities. Outside of the separation from digital technologies, it is possible to give meaning to life not only to young people, but also to those who are already of age, by teaching them how to use the latest digital technologies and take advantage of high-speed Internet. It is necessary to create a complex toolkit, which would take into account all aspects of the conditions and circumstances under which effective and comprehensive patriotic and spiritual and moral education is possible.

This book outlines the complexities, contestation, and contradictions in the formal organization and contents of patriotic education in post-Soviet Russia. While the topics of patriotism and patriotic education are highly political and politicized, this study approaches them from a more sociological perspective. It is based on a variety of sources and empirical data, including the indicators and budgets of federal and regional patriotic-education programs and on field research. The book explores in depth all major agents of patriotic education in Russia, such as the government, schools, youth associations, churches, and the film/cartoon industry. It traces the development of governmental patriotic programs in recent decades, discusses how the Soviet past and political traditions influence today's system of patriotic education, and presents numerous case studies illustrating real-life processes in current patriotic education.