On the methodological foundations of ethnosociology: summarizing the results of the roundtable discussion “Ethnosocial and Ethnopolitical Processes in Siberia and the Far East” (Yakutsk)

The article presents an analytical overview of the roundtable discussion “Ethnosocial and Ethnopolitical Processes in Siberia and the Far East,” held as part of the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Institute for Humanitarian Research and Indigenous Studies of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (September 16, 2025, Yakutsk). The event, which brought together leading ethnosociologists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, and Yakutsk, was aimed to consolidate theoretical and empirical expertise to address contemporary challenges that face multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural Russia. The discussion focused on analyzing the theoretical and methodological foundations of ethnosociology, driven by a paradigm shift in development. In this context, the potential of the discipline’s central category – “ethnic identity” – was subjected to a critical analysis in situations of social instability. The empirical field for this analysis included issues of migration policy, the interplay between civic and ethnic identity, and the methodologies of visual studies and factor analysis in ethnosociology. The roundtable discussion not only facilitated an analysis of current trends, but also promoted the synchronization of research programs among leading academic centers, thereby outlining prospects for future research.