The problem of identity in a multiethnic civil society

   This article examines a range of issues related to the constitution and functioning of identity in a multiethnic civil society.

   The central question addressed is how the unity and functionality of a civil society consisting of multiple ethnic groups, each with its own culture, language, historical memory, and often a desire for political self-determination, is possible.

   The article aims to analyze the main socio-philosophical models for addressing the problem of identity in a multiethnic context.

   It examines the fundamental contradiction between the universalist ideal of civic identity based on equal rights and common political affiliation and the real diversity of ethnocultural, national, and religious identities. Key theoretical approaches to addressing this issue are considered, including liberal universalism and equality, multiculturalism, and cosmopolitanism. Particular attention is paid to the challenges posed by global migration processes, which are transforming previously monoethnic societies into complex multicultural systems, where the relationship between the civic nation and ethnic nations becomes particularly pressing. The problem of identity in multiethnic civil society is also analyzed within the Russian socio-philosophical context. A promising direction appears to be the development of a civic and political community within the Russian nation, based not on the denial of ethnicity, but on its dialogic inclusion in a common public space. It is concluded that the prospects for the development of a multiethnic civil society lie in the development of a flexible, common civic identity, based on shared constitutional principles and a common historical destiny, allowing for the combination of political integration with the recognition and institutionalization of cultural differences.

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