Political re-socialization of Russian new citizens in the context of expanding political space

Abstract

The aim of the article is to identify the main factors influencing the processes of political re-socialization of new Russian citizens in the context of the expanding and transforming political space. Based on data from secondary analysis and thirty expert interviews (2024), the author identifies and systematizes four levels of factors influencing the process of political socialization of Russian new citizens: megafactors, macrofactors, mesofactors and microfactors. Global challenges (mega-level) set the general context, while internal socio-economic and value consolidation (macro-level) creates the foundation for integration. The purposeful actions of the the state institutions and society (meso-level) are the key mechanism for managing this process, and the influence of the immediate environment (micro-level) largely determines its individual trajectory - from the successful adoption of a new civic identity to passive resistance or conflict. The author indicates institutional and economic measures aimed at reducing anxiety, forming clear and achievable life prospects, and creating conditions for internally motivated, rather than forced, civic self-determination. Three comprehensive strategies are identified, such as strategy of institutional concretization and public engagement, strategy of value-identification consolidation and semantic dialogue and strategy of socio-economic stabilization. Their implementation allows public policy actors to eliminate obstacles. The strategy of value-identification consolidation and semantic dialogue is aimed at neutralizing socio-cultural barriers and deactivating the information and ideological barrier through the dialogical construction of an inclusive civic community. As a result, the author concretizes scientific knowledge about the factors and models of the subjective political space transformation under the influence of changes in the real political space. The findings can be used to optimize technologies of identity policy in new regions of the Russian Federation.