The Ethnic-Cultural Image of Tatarstan and Its Regional Branding Promotion: The Strategy and Evaluation of the Political Elite

Abstract

The article draws on expert interviews to examine the current trends in building the ethnic-cultural image of the Republic of Tatarstan, such as the re-orientation of power and “new” elites of the region, and the use of non-political forms of representation in the territorial branding of the region. Some traces of the discourse of the 1990s with its politicization of ethnicity are still present in the vocabulary of those persons that appeared in the political area of the republic in the previous decades. Their understanding of the cultural heritage of the Republic of Tatarstan and evaluation of the Republic’s official brands are different too. Furthermore, the stories and meanings that are connected with the ethnic-cultural image and that are promoted by the authorities and elites (depending on the nature of their activities and involvement in specific projects), are varied, the two principal ones being the idea of peaceful coexistence of different cultures and religions in the region, and the idea of Tatarstan as the center of the Tatar culture. Experts are unanimous in the view that the efforts of the Republic’s authorities on building the proper image and brand of the Republic have a positive effect on regional identity. This does not contradict the Russian integration, according to most of them.