The Russian North in historical dynamics: the failure of the project of the Russian cultural ‘pantry’

Abstract

Based on historical, sociological, ethnographic and demographic data the paper considers cultural and ethno-political processes in the Russian (European) North over a long historical period. The study shows that the centuries- long colonization of the Russian North led to the formation of a single historical and cultural territory which was divided into separate administrative enclaves in the Soviet time. However ethnic and cultural changes in recent decades have almost reconstructed the former cultural landscape of the region and created a conceptual framework for the regional integration.