Omelchenko, D. A., Maksimova, S. G., Noyanzina, O. E., Goncharova, N. P., Avdeeva, G. S. Reconstruction of the Image of the Ethnic ‘Other’ in Mental Representations of the Residents of Russian Regions

Abstract: The subject under research is the mental representations, evaluations and stereotypes constituting the general image of the ethnic Other in public consciousness. This image is reconstructed through successive fragmentation and description of semantic interactions between attributes relevant to different social roles that may be performed by a representative of the other ethnicity; discovery of the latent factors conditioning the perception of different ethnic images; construction of semantic spaces visualizing categorical structures of the consciousness/ mentality of social groups of different gender, age and region of residence. With the help of the psychosemantic questionnaire developed on the basis of a modifi ed variant of the multiple identifi cation method, semantic differential and repertory grids, 240 people living in the four regions of Russia (the Altai Krai, Omsk Region, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Altai Republic). The role positions included: a signifi cant other of another nationality (a fried or a family member), a representative of another nationality that was born and has been living in the region all this time, a person of another nationality who had to come from another county (a refugee), a foreigner who came to work legally or illegally (a migrant worker), a representative of another nationality who came for educational or cultural purposes (a student, a tourist or a trainee). The reference category was the ‘native resident of Russia’. The received data was evaluated according to the bipolar scales. After that data was analyzed by the means of the variance, correlation, factor and cluster analysis. The results of the research have shown that the image of the ethnic ‘other’ in the Russian mentality consisted mostly of the negative stereotypes projected on representatives of other nationalities. The content of these stereotypes related to, fi rst of all, evaluation of the potential risk and the threat to national security, ethnic confl icts and tension, social inequality and low cultural or intellectual level. The infl uence of these stereotypes is less in close interpersonal relations and is more for a lower social status of illegal immigrants. Self-perception of Russian citizens is rather contradictory. On one hand, native residents of Russia are viewed paternalistically and from the position of their national uniqueness and superiority. On the other hand, they demonstrate a low self-esteem which is usually caused by the low standard of their living and legal and moral disadvantages. Despite general semantic perception mechanisms, regional mentalities are signifi cantly differentiated which is refl ected in social images and stereotypes demonstrated by local residents.

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