REGIONAL IDENTITY AS A FACTOR OF POLITICAL SUBJECTIVITY: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES

The article examines regional identity as a key factor shaping political subjectivity, and explores theoretical and methodological approaches to its study. Analyzing the relationship between territorial affiliation, cultural narratives and political activism, the author proves how regional identity affects the collective actions of the population and the forms and structure of governance in society. A critical assessment of the existing theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of regional identity as a factor of political subjectivity is given. A systematic methodological approach is proposed to explore the relationship between identity formation and political activism. We show how regional identity is transformed into political demands. Special attention is paid to modern challenges: globalization, digitalization and migration, which complicate identification processes. Empirical data (in particular, VTSIOM surveys and analysis of the media space in Donbass) They confirm that a stable regional identity strengthens political subjectivity. The southern regions of Russia, including the territories that have been reintegrated in recent years, are characterized by a special socio-cultural complexity that significantly distinguishes them from the relatively homogeneous identity matrix of Central Russia. The study examines the multifaceted nature of regional identity in Donbas, Novorossiya and Crimea. Using political analysis, it is shown how the complex mosaic of identity in southern Russia reflects centuries-old intercultural interaction, geopolitical transformations, and modern state-building processes.