Narratives about Colonialism and Decolonization in Russian-speaking Political Discourse. Regional Features of Perception in the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Dagestan

This article presents the results of focus groups reflecting the regional specifics of the perception of narratives about colonialism and decolonization in the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Dagestan. The author identifies and presents topical aspects of the internal attitude of residents of the studied regions to the problem of separatism on their territory, as well as the level of involvement in the official and oppositional discourse of the “decolonization of Russia”.
The author has developed and tested a methodology for empirical analysis of the perception of official and oppositional narratives about colonialism, organized a series of focus groups using incentive material to assess differences in the degree of loyalty of different segments of media consumers to these narratives.
The empirical basis of the study was the materials of focus groups conducted in the second half of 2024 among students and teachers of higher educational institutions in regions with increased separatist potential.
The respondents are well aware of the decolonial narrative and the history of the separatist movement in their regions, however they assessed negatively the prospects for disintegration processes.

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