Community Identity In The Conditions Of Interstate Military-Political Confrontation: Conceptualization Of The Concept

This paper is devoted to the theoretical analysis and conceptualization of the concept of community identity as a socio-psychological phenomenon and the explanation of its manifestation in the conditions of military-political confrontation. We understand community identity as a multilevel system construct that is formed as a result of a person's understanding of his belonging to a certain community and subjective attitude to this belonging on the basis of a stable emotional connection, as well as inclusion in his inner world and perception as his own, community norms and values, manifested in the behavioral practices of representatives of certain communities (a state citizen, a resident of a certain territorial community, a representative of a certain property or linguistic and cultural community, etc.). A community is defined on the basis of the common interests of its members, common actions, place, territory, common practices and circumstances. The key feature of defining a community and distinguishing it from a social group is the subjective significance of belonging to it for community members. In the conditions of emergency situations and social transformations, such as the RussianUkrainian war, there is a reconstruction, a special way and unique configurations of the interaction of community identities, in particular territorial: local, regional, national, global; linguistic, cultural, ethnic, civil, religious, etc. The interaction between these identities occurs in such a way that some become more dominant, manifested, and actualized, and they, in turn, can suppress others, enter into competitive interaction with them, or, on the contrary, highlight, emphasize others, or at least coexist harmoniously. Community identity can be spontaneously actualized or de-actualized during emergency situations. But it is often enough based on pre-formed identities and values existing in society. In the conditions of war, there are tendencies towards the consolidation of society around a common clearly defined enemy, a common problem, trouble, a common future, leader, territory, etc. through the actualization of certain community identities. At the same time, it creates threats of internal Ukrainian confrontation, which makes Ukrainian society somewhat vulnerable and sensitive to the actions of enemy propaganda. Formulated statements can be the basis for the development of practical recommendations for local and state authorities, which will contribute to strengthening the consolidation of society and overcoming the consequences of polarization and socio-political confrontations. It will ultimately have a positive impact on the national security of the country.