IN SEARCH OF CONSENSUS: RUSSIAN IDENTITY IN THE DISCOURSES OF THE IZBORSKY CLUB MEMBERS

The Izborsky Club positions itself as a "synthesis of Russian statists <...> from socialists and Soviet patriots to monarchists and Orthodox conservatives" and aims to unite representatives from diverse statist nationalist movements. The internal heterogeneity of Russian nationalism presents a challenge to the Izborsky Club's goal of developing a "new tradition", which involves constructing a unified understanding of Russian identity. This study, based on a content analysis of the Club members' publications of 2012-2021, examines the models of Russian identity promoted and evaluates the process of creating a unified national Self-image. While members share generalized views on the territory and the collective past, their views differ significantly on the nature of the community and diverge in their assessments of certain periods of Russian history. Although many members embrace the concept of Russian civilization, there is no consensus on what this civilization represents. Due to the lack of deep agreement beyond vague terms and generalized ideas, forming a cohesive identity model remains difficult.