On July 21 at 12:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host a discussion on the topic “National Identity as a Form of Geopolitical Struggle”.

       The problem of national identity is of key importance for each state against the backdrop of cardinal changes in the world. It includes values shared by society, a sense of national pride, as well as historical memory. The process of identity formation runs up in part against the civic passivity of people, against the phenomenon of a “post-heroic” society, to which developed countries have become accustomed over the previous decades. The civic activism of individual social forces and persons amid the context of general relative passivity is a phenomenon that requires attention and study. It can carry risks, and ignoring them may endanger stability.

       How is the process of shaping national identity proceeding in Russia? How similar is our experience to the experience of other countries, are there any suitable examples in the past? What political and social practices of other countries should Russia use, and what should it avoid? Is there an ideal model for building a national identity that is worth striving for? Participants in the discussion will try to answer all these questions.

       Mi？a ？urkovi？, a famous Serbian political philosopher, Director of the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade, and author of the books “Dark Corridors of Power” and “The Illusion of the European Union” will be the foreign guest of the discussion.

       Speakers:

       Oleg Bondarenko, Director of the Progressive Policy Foundation, Editor-in-Chief of The Balkanist Project Mi？a ？urkovi？, Director of the Institute for European Studies (Serbia)

       Moderator:

       Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

       Working languages: Russian, English.

       Information for the media: In order to get accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our web site. If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763.

       A link to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, Twitter, Telegram and Dzen.