Russian post-nationalism or pan-ethnicity? Case of compatriots in south Ossetia, Abkhazia and Crimea

Abstract

A significant number of individuals are living in the Russian territory, as well as in the neighboring countries that have strong links with the Russian identity. Whether they are called Russky, Rossiyanin or neither, they tend to be referred to as Russophiles or Russophones. This raises several questions, including, in the realm of identity politics, how can one evaluate the recent actions of the Russian Federation regarding of the Georgian and Crimean crises? Is their aim securing pre-existing bonds or some other end, such as provoking a national reaction, or a strategically driven post-national move? The analysis supports the latter hypothesis, i.e., driven by the assumption that the Russian policy is being dominated by geopolitical interests, rather than by ethnic concerns. The recent Russian foreign policy is evaluated through a post-national lens within a wider community of ethnographic diversity, drawing evidence from the Compatriot policy of the Russian Federation with a focus on the Compatriots in South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Crimea. © 2018 The Trustees of Indiana University. All rights reserved.