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«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «POLITOLOGIYA. RELIGIOVEDENIE»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «POLITICAL SCIENCE AND RELIGION STUDIES»
ISSN 2073-3380 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Political Science and Religion Studies». 2023. Vol 43

Local Ethnic Societies and Policy: Soyot Perception of Government

Author(s)
A. N. Fartyshev, Ju. S. Razmakhnina, I. A. Klepikov
Abstract
The issues of electoral behavior and the interaction of the electorate and power among the indigenous small people of the soyots, who live in one of the most remote regions of Russia – the Okinsky rayon of Buryatia, are covered. According to the results of a statistical analysis and sociological surveys conducted by the authors in 2021 and 2022 (n = 279) the characteristic features of the political culture of the soyots were revealed. With the framework of theory of motivation to vote of A. Blais and J.-F. Daoust, soyots tend to participate in elections mainly because of a sense of obligation and fear of being seen as asocial by their society. Soyots are characterized by a higher level of support for pro-government candidates and the ruling party, which is based on a sense of non-participation in the federal agenda due to their geographical remoteness, which implies their conformist behavior. In the Okinsky district, there is a high activity of local authorities and a variety of non-trivial political practices, which are described in the article. A pronounced ethnic feature is the high level of political influence among religious actors (buddhist lamas and shamans), that is low researched yet, as well as the presence of public institutions that defend the issues of legislative initiatives at the federal level, which in perception are equated with government.
About the Authors

Fartyshev Arseniy Nikolaevich, Candidate of Sciences (Geography), Researcher, Head of Laboratory of Geo-Resource Studies and Political Geography, V. B. Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS, 1, Ulan-Batorskaya st., Irkutsk, 664033, Russian Federation, Associate Professor of Department of Political Science, History and Regional Studies, Irkutsk State University, 1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, e-mail: fartyshev.an@gmail.com

Razmakhnina Julia Sergeеvna, Candidate of Sciences (Geography), Researcher, Laboratory of Geo-Resource Studies and Political Geography, V. B. Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS, 1, Ulan-Batorskaya st., Irkutsk, 664033, Russian Federation e-mail: juliarazm@gmail.com

Klepikov Ivan Aleksandrovich, Undergraduate, Department of Political Science, History and Regional Studies, Irkutsk State University, 1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, e-mail: Klepikov_ivan@inbox.ru

For citation
Fartyshev A. N., Razmakhnina Ju. S., Klepikov I. A. Local Ethnic Societies and Policy: Soyot Perception of Government. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies, 2023, vol. 43, pp. 36-45. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2023.43.36 (in Russian)
Keywords
political geography, electoral geography, Okinsky district, electoral motivation, ethnopolitics, municipal politics.
UDC
911.3 (571)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2023.43.36
References
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