Tatarstan in the Vision of Elites and Ordinary Citizens of the Republic

Abstract

Involving Russian regions in competition with each other made it urgent to search for the distinctiveness of each of them. Around which meanings is this distinctiveness built? To what extent do these meanings resonate with the image of the territory in the minds of its inhabitants? The above issues are considered in the article on the example of the Republic of Tatarstan (RT). Local authorities implement ambitious projects in the field of innovation, sports, tourism, building a regional image and brands. The study of this region is also important in connection with the experience of the turn of the 1980s-1990s when ethnic identity was used to affirm its special status in the Russian state.