The article examines the phenomenon of identity as one of the most complex and debated concepts in contemporary humanities. The authors argue that the overlap of disciplinary traditions in sociology, political science, psychology, and anthropology has led to methodological fragmentation and conceptual ambiguity. Particular attention is given to the constructivist turn, which enables identity to be viewed not as a fixed essence but as a dynamic, causal process of social construction emerging through communication, institutional transformation, and intersubjective interaction. Constructivism, as demonstrated in the study, provides a productive methodological framework for analyzing identity in both social and political contexts, as it reveals how language, symbols, and narratives shape collective meanings and guide the behavior of social actors. The aim of the research is to develop a unified methodological framework for studying identity. The novelty of the study lies in the proposed model inspired by Imre Lakatos’s concept of “research programs,” reinterpreted within the context of identity analysis. In this model, identity is structured as a system where the central “core”, a set of fundamental collective values and representations, is surrounded by several “belts” (symbolic, institutional, territorial, socio-cognitive, and normative-behavioral). These belts serve as adaptive and protective mechanisms: during periods of social stability, they absorb external impulses and reinterpret new meanings within the existing value matrix, ensuring the integrity of the core. During social or political crises, accumulated transformations gradually penetrate the core, leading to its reconfiguration and the emergence of new identity configurations. The authors also describe how the belts may “compete,” as some tend toward the preservation of tradition and restoration of the past, while others drive modernization and renewal of norms. This model thus elucidates the dynamic process through which peripheral shifts and emerging social practices gradually reshape the core, resulting in the continual transformation of collective identity

This article identifies the structural preconditions of cognitive warfare and assesses its impact on youth civic identity within a post-information order and a platform-based media environment. The study’s aim is to empirically test whether the intensity of youths’ digital engagement correlates with the state of core value dominants of their civic identity and with signs of reduced cognitive autonomy. Methodologically, the work combines a field study in natural classroom settings (September–October 2025, MPSU and the Financial University; n=78, aged 18–22), a binary questionnaire, participant observation, and brief projective tasks, followed by descriptive statistics and qualitative interpretation. The findings register high digital load, short concentration intervals, and parallel value erosion at both declarative and behavioral levels. The conclusion is that not individual messages as such, but modes of presentation and processing in the digital environment are decisive; practical recommendations focus on strengthening cognitive autonomy, restoring procedural literacy, and translating values into stable everyday practices. The theoretical contribution lies in aligning the cognitive-warfare framework with the measurement of civic identity via the “Pentabasis” model under platformized communication.

The article represents an analytical review of existing approaches in foreign literature to conceptualize and operationalize the role of subnational political actors in Brazilian national politics. The electoral cycles of 2018 and 2022 in Brazil demonstrated significant heterogeneity in voting results at the federal and subnational levels. In 2018, the victory of the leader of the far-right political forces, Jair Bolsonaro, was not fully supported by the results of the regional elections. On the contrary, the victory of the founder of the center-left party, Inacio Lula da Silva, in the national elections was associated with the absence of a majority in parliament for the president and the victory of right-wing parties, including the Liberal Party of Jair Bolsonaro. These forces have also won regional elections, and most of the current governors are also supporters of right-wing parties. Reliance on classical institutionalism in the case of Latin American countries does not represent current interaction of political forces at the federal and regional levels, which forces researchers to turn to the analysis of the role of subnational actors in the Brazilian political system. The article identifies three main groups of approaches, each of which reveals the role of subnational actors in Brazil’s national policy. The first group includes studies examining the influence of subnational actors on the characteristics of the national party system. The second group includes works analyzing the influence of subnational actors on the choice of a certain policy course by executive authorities. The third one is devoted to the analysis of the role of the states in decision-making by legislative authorities. For the analysis, we selected studies published since the beginning of the 21st century, which focused on the relationship between the central authorities of Brazil and the political actors of the states. The choice is due to the current heterogeneity of approaches to conceptualizing and operationalizing the role of the states in shaping Brazil’s national policy.

The article analyzes the role of tribal identity and clans in the socio-political life of Saudi Arabia, focusing on the influence of tribal ties within the context of the modern state. The key objective is to explore Saudi tribes and assess the extent of their impact on the socio-political environment. The article examines the nature of interaction between tribal alliances and the royal family, as well as the degree of their integration into the country’s political system. Despite modernization and urbanization, tribal influence on politics persists, especially in matters such as the appointment of key government officials and participation in municipal elections. Attention is also given to the socio-economic changes brought about, among other factors, by the development of the oil industry in Saudi Arabia. Tribal identity continues to significantly shape society, particularly in the context of conflict and intertribal marriages. The article investigates state policy toward tribes and the use of tribal networks to strengthen political legitimacy and maintain stability. The author concludes that the tribal factor remains a vital element of Saudi Arabia’s socio-political structure, despite the state’s efforts to foster a unified national identity.

This review examines the philosophical and cultural aspects of Margarita Simonyan’s book “In the Beginning Was the Word – in the End Will Be the Number” within the context of Russian religious and conservative thought. The author analyzes the work as an eschatological allegory, in which the clash of Word and Number serves as a metaphor for the crisis of human identity in the era of technoglobalism. Particular attention is paid to comparing the novel with the legacy of the patristic tradition and the philosophy of V.S. Solovyov, N.A. Berdyaev, K.N. Leontiev, and other thinkers. It is shown that the image of artificial intelligence is interpreted as a form of “anti-logos,” replacing the spiritual foundation of culture. The article argues that Simonyan’s work should be viewed not only as a literary text but also as a philosophical warning about the risks of the posthumanist project. This article might be useful to researchers of contemporary Russian literature, the philosophy of culture, and religious anthropology.