Social Justice in the Context of Depolitization of Ethnicity (on the Example of the Republic of Kalmykia)

The purpose of the study. The population of the multiethnic regions of the South of Russia is characterized by the competition of the ideals of social justice, which are based on the recognition of the equality and freedom of peoples or the equality and freedom of citizens. However, the policy of depoliticizing ethnicity in the sphere of national relations carried out by the federal authorities, presupposes the normative value priority of civic identity. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to identify options for the socio-economic, political and cultural development of the Republic of Kalmykia, which will be recognized by the population as fair and thereby ensure the civic consolidation of residents of multi-ethnic regions, as well as strengthen the all-Russian identity and ensure its dominance in the hierarchy of other social identities. The methodological basis of the research involves the combination of two approaches: the theory of ethnos and the theory of social justice. Ethnicity is viewed as a constructed identity, which, according to V.А. Tishkov, assumes “the subjective perception of the community by a certain social reality and the assignment of oneself to these communities”. This interpretation implies “background knowledge embodied in people and embedded in institutional routines and practices through which people perceive and identify objects, places, persons, actions and situations as ethnically colored or significant” – writes R. Brubaker. One of the triggers of self-determination, formation and mobilization of ethnicity is social justice (L. G. Ionin) as a terminal and instrumental value. It permeates all spheres of social interactions and acts as a guideline for social and political transformations (J. Rawls) and is a way of consolidating ethnicity, which is empirically verified (A.B. Hoffman).   Research results. Sociological research conducted in 2020 and 2021 (by the method of focus group interviews, a series of in-depth expert interviews and a mass survey of the population) made it possible to determine the correspondence of the policy of depoliticizing ethnicity carried out by the federal center to the expectations of the residents of the Republic of Kalmykia. It will be perceived by the population as fair, in case of federal support for the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects; ensuring equal conditions for the functioning of the public sector (medicine and education) with other regions of Russia; trust to the people to elect their own leader to the post of the Head of the Republic; resolving the issue of inviting the Dalai Lama to visit Kalmykia; financing scientific linguistic research aimed at restoring the full value of the Kalmyk language. Research prospects. Prospects for the development of the presented topics are associated with a representative survey of the population of the republic, aimed at verifying the hypothesis about the sources and factors of perception of the social situation in the context of the theory of justice and its interpretation in the context of the depoliticization of ethnicity. Another aspect of the development of the presented topic is a comparative analysis of the degree of social and ethnopolitical tension in the main ethnic communities of Kalmykia, the presence / absence of their group mobilization.