The paper based on sociological research in two Russian regions (Ivanovo and Dagestan) examines the role of the Motherland symbol in the Russian public opinion. Authors believe that the most essential trait of citizens’ attitudes to the Motherland is the attributing maternal characteristics to it. The Motherland is opposed to the State in the views of citizens. The relations between a person and his/her Motherland are interpreted as family relations (especially in ethnically Russian region); love for Motherland considered as self-denying and not depending on living conditions. On the contrary, relations between the citizen and the country are interpreted as contractual ones. This is why the symbol of the Motherland is used in the state symbolic politics. The authors demonstrate that citizens’ attitudes to the Motherland depend on their political preferences.
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