Social identities and consolidation practices of the modern youth: the experience of Russian and foreign studies

Abstract

The article is based on the synthesis of research advances of Russian and foreign authors covering the issues of young people’s self-identification and the practices of their association. This interest is caused by the project implemented in the Samara region «Youth Identity and consolidation practice: regional aspect». The article uses the research results of foreign scientists, which discuss the issues of digital, ethnic-racial, religious identities, as well as the identities of poor youth in the context of establishing the consumer culture values. The results of the All-Russian project «Z Generation Eventivity» (2018) on the childhood eventivity, directed by S.N. Mayorova-Shcheglova, are significant. The research results on the issue under study, obtained in the Samara region, are important. These studies are on the social and medical volunteering, the importance of the activities of folk performance teams for preserving and developing the Russian culture. It was found that the identity problems in foreign studies are mainly placed in the context of consolidation practices of various minorities, socially vulnerable, discriminated youth groups. Russian studies have another approach: the self-identification issues are considered as related to various activities of the young people, their participation in various prosocial groups. We consider the second approach to be more productive in the Russian conditions.