TATAR CULTURE: A SOCIOCULTURAL ANALYSIS IN THE CONTEXT OF ETHNOCULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE MODERN AGE OF DIGITAL LIFE

Abstract

This study explores how ethnic minority activists in Russia appropriate digital technology and forms of creative cultural production that are widely disseminated around the world. The study also illustrates the ways in which these forms influence alternative ethnic cultural expressions and innovative interpretations of minority cultural heritage. Tatarstan, an autonomous region of the Russian Federation, has seen a growth in the number of innovative cultural and digital initiatives launched during the last five to seven years. These initiatives are driven primarily by young Tatar businesspeople and activists, most of whom are based in the Republic of Tatarstan. Tatarstan has long been the epicentre of traditional Tatar culture, including the Tatar people's theatre, music, visual arts, and literature. It is also the primary location for the instruction of the Tatar language. Tatarstan's political autonomy arrangements from the 1990s have been primarily undermined due to Russia's efforts toward centralization and cultural unity under the presidency of Vladimir Putin (beginning in the year 2000). Activists working to preserve the languages and identities of ethnic minorities face new challenges directly from the new, more conservative ideologies that have taken hold in the country. The emergence of new forms of cultural production in Russia is influenced by the growth of digital technology as well as by international cultural production. The younger members of the Tatar community are adopting the international formats and genres popular elsewhere and applying them to their cultural activities, thereby creating new forms of ethno cultural activism. When it comes to matters of ethnic identity, they devise innovative approaches to depict and articulate it, which are distinct from the models of ethnic culture that were inspired by the Soviet Union. Environments are becoming increasingly ideologically and politically restrictive. Minority participation in urban activities is frequently linked with secession. Due to these groups' activities, it is possible to depoliticize ethnic activism.