Peoples, identities and regionsSpain, Russia and the Challenges of the multi-ethnic state

Abstract

This book marks the beginning of a new phase in what we hope will be a fruitful collaboration between the Institute Ethnology and Anthropology Russian Academy of Science and the University of the Basque Country. Researchers from both Spain and Russia, representing a series of scientific schools each with its own methods and concepts – among them anthropologists, political scientists, historians and literary critics-, came to the decision to prepare a collective volume exploring a series of vital issues concerning state policy in complex societies, examining different identitarian characteristics, and reflecting on the difficulty of preserving regional cultures. Though the two countries clearly have their differences – political, economic and social –, we believe that the comparative methodology and the debates it leads to are valid and indeed important not just at a theoretical level, but also in practical terms. The decision to publish the volume in English is precisely to enable us to overcome any linguistic barriers there might be between Russian and Spanish academics, whilst simultaneously making these studies accessible to a much wider audience, since the realities behind many of the themes touched upon in this volume are relevant in many other parts of the globe beyond our two countries.