Native language and school. An anthropological view

Doi: 10.33876/2311-0546/2019-46-2/164-177

Abstract

There are many levers both to construct social differences and to eliminate them. In my opinion, one of the most effective tools to socially construct identities is educational policy. People belong to certain cultural traditions primarily due to upbringing and socialization. Education, especially school education, plays a significant role in the educational process. The article describes various issues of school education in ethnic languages and the problem of preservation of these languages in the regions of Russia.
To what extent is language a historically given phenomenon and to what extent is it a construct, the result of “social engineering” and ideological work? Language is not just a tool of communication in a social group, but it also provides a feeling of uniqueness among other nations and states. National and ethnic identity should be viewed in close connection with language. Now, when the multiculturalality of society is growing all over the world, the problem of preserving the ethnocultural identity of a population, passing the traditions of fathers and grandfathers to the younger generation is becoming increasingly urgent. While preparing young people for life in a multilingual and multicultural society, it is important to find a balance between the ethnic and cultural needs of a citizen on the one hand and the tasks of consolidating the population in the interests of a single state  – on the other.

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