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Russian nationalists in the Komi Republic: a case study of the Frontier of the North

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Aleksandr G. Kuzmin  and
Anastasia V. Mitrofanova Open the ORCID record for Anastasia V. Mitrofanova [Opens in a new window]
Aleksandr G. Kuzmin
Affiliation:
Department of History, Political Science, and Sociology, Syktyvkar State University, Syktyvkar, Russia
Anastasia V. Mitrofanova*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia Department of Religion Studies, Moscow Orthodox Institute of St. John the Divine, Moscow, Russia
*
∗Corresponding author. Email: anastasia-mit@mail.ru
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Abstract

The article examines some generic traits of the “new” Russian ethnic nationalism, namely, de-ideologization of the nationalist milieu and its inclination for civic activism. It results from a case study of the Frontier of the North (FN – Syktyvkar), an ideologically ambivalent organization that combines dual Russian/Komi ethnic nationalism, anti-migration sentiments, white racism, and fragments of other ideologies. The article demonstrates that, unlike nationalists of the previous generation, FN is not hostile to public authorities and is ready to cooperate with them. FN's grassroots activism, as well as sports and healthy recreational activities, attracts young people. The organization tackles the most acute social problems, often neglected by everyone else, and has become a working civil society institution. The authors argue that these tactics win the “new” nationalists sympathy among ordinary people and makes the groups politically stronger and more influential than the previous nationalist generation. However, state anti-extremist policy hampers the advancement of nationalists into mainstream politics.

Keywords

radical nationalismethnic nationalismRussian nationalismKomi nationalismFrontier of the Northextreme right
Type
Special Section: Perspectives on Russian Nationalism
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , March 2017 , pp. 238 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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