Passport identification and nation-building in post-Soviet Russia

Abstract

From 1934, ethnicity in the internal passport was a key feature of the USSR's ethnicity regime. Following Stalin's death, all attempts to abolish ethnicity from the Soviet internal passport failed. This article examines the removal of ethnicity from the internal passport in the post-Soviet period as a key indicator of the new state policy on ethnicity. Grounded in the scholarly literature on ethnicity in post-Soviet Russia, drawing on the media, interviews, and the work of a key actor, Valeriy Tishkov, ethnologist and Yel'tsin's Nationalities Minister, this paper traces the process of passport reform. The central government's policy towards ethnicity outside the federalism framework is analyzed.