MONUMENTAL COMMEMORATION AND RUSSIAN IDENTITY IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS: CAN NON-ACCEPTANCE OF DECISIONS BE A RATIONAL POLITICAL STRATEGY?

Abstract

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of the "monument war" in the North Caucasus in the context of Russian nation-building. The authors analyze the historical dynamics of the commemoration in the North Caucasus, depending on its historical stages and political actors. Further, the article examines the causes of the actual 'war of monuments' in the North Caucasus and formulates its essence. At the same time, the question is raised about the assessment of the position of the authorities regarding this "war" in terms of the policy of "non-decision-making" (according to P. Bachrach and M. S. Baratz). In conclusion, the authors interpret the memorial conflicts in the North Caucasus as a request for a modern (in the spirit of E. Renan) concept of the Russian nation.