Scenarios of Identity Formation with a Place among the Older in Rural Areas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2026.2.2885Keywords:
aging, elderly people, formation of the identity of the elderly, rural area, identity, place identityAbstract
Modern scientific literature demonstrates a wide variety of theoretical approaches and empirical research on the phenomenon of identity and its specifics. However, the concept of identity associated with a place is still often viewed primarily in the context of attachment to space and the accompanying feelings of belonging, or as an independent construct formed by the place itself and integrated into its boundaries. This study offers the author's interpretation of the concept of identity with place, based on the analysis of interviews with representatives of the older generation living in rural areas in the Leningrad region and the Republic of Karelia of the Russian Federation. Identity with a place is considered a component of the Self-concept of personality, which can have varying degrees of significance, from central to peripheral, depending on personal reflection, life experience, and emotional attitude of a person to a particular territory. The analysis of empirical data allowed us to identify three scenarios demonstrating a different degree of integration of identity with place into the structure of the Self-concept of older rural residents. The novelty of the research lies in the application of an original methodological approach based on the principles of ethnographic theory. This approach made it possible to analyze the interview texts in their contextual dimension and allowed us to consider the process of forming identity with a place through the prism of specific territories, emotional connections, and personal self-descriptions. Such an examination made it possible to characterize the process of spatial identity formation in more depth and to identify its significance in the structure of an individual's self-perception.
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