Nature Symbols and Images as Identity Attributes of the Greater Caspian States
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17545225 |
|---|---|
| Authors | A Romanova (0000-0001-8537-4893, Astrakhan Tatishchev State University, 20A, Tatishchev Str., 414056, Astrakhan, Russian Federation), А Romanova (Astrakhan Tatischev State University, corresponding author), Елена Морозова (0000-0002-1369-7594, Astrakhan Tatishchev State University, 20A, Tatishchev Str., 414056, Astrakhan, Russian Federation) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 122-134 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | World Economy and International Relations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0131-2227 • E-ISSN: 2782-4330 |
| Publisher | Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.20542/0131-2227-2026-70-3-122-134 |
| OpenAlex | W7135075558 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
The role of symbols in the formation of national, regional, and ethnic identities is crucial; through them, the most significant values of a people are revealed and recorded. Nature objects, as symbols, have their roots in the distant past. Understanding the origins and contemporary role of symbolism as part of the cultural code of peoples is essential not only in intercultural communication but also in the spheres of “high politics” – interstate relations and public diplomacy. The methodological basis of the research is shaped by social constructivism (Bergman and Luckmann), the concept of the “symbolic mediator” developed by Sorokin, and the macropolitical concept of identity politics (Drobizheva, Semenenko). The empirical basis is built upon the materials of the authors’ sociological research conducted in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan in 2022–2024 (mass online survey, focus group interviews), textual and visual sources representing national and regional symbols of these states. The authors conclude that contemporary symbolic array of the Caspian macroregion reflects the layering of multiple historical eras, from which current politicians derive evidence of modern polities legitimacy and their own power or geopolitical claims. The scientific novelty of this article lies in the proposed typology of nature symbols and images that influence identity formation in the Greater Caspian countries, identification of the mechanisms of their modernization and the motives for politicization, and formulation of the problem of common symbolism of the Caspian macroregion
Collective identity · Ethnic group · Focus (optics) · Geopolitics · Identity (music) · Legitimacy · National identity · Politics · Symbolic power · Typology · Marine and environmental studies · Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics · Sociopolitical Dynamics in Russia
| Highly cited | No |
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