Traditional Culture in Contemporary Processes and Practices of Ethnic Identification among the Tatar and Russians of Tatarstan

Abstract

The 1990s and 2000s witnessed the growth of Tatarstan population’s interest in traditional culture, and the continual presence of the latter in practices of ethnic identification among both the Russians and the Tatar. This was due to certain social and political changes in the country, including alterations in strategies of ethnic/cultural development in Russia and Tatarstan, as well as to the heightened activities of religious institutions, and to a search for new criteria of identity among various social groups. The “revival” of folk-religious celebratory and ritual culture was occurring on the basis of the cultural elements preserved from the earlier periods, including the Soviet period. Still, the orientation of the Tatar and Russians of the region predominantly towards their respective cultures does not abolish cultural interaction and borrowing.