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“My motherland is vast”:
a comparative analysis of representations of the regional identities at the “Russia” exhibition at VDNKh

Malinova O.Yu.,

Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, omalinova@mail.ru

elibrary_id: 197217 | ORCID: 0000-0002-2754-8055 | RESEARCHER_ID: J-7893-2015

Article received: 2026.02.15 14:38. Accepted: 2026.07.01 14:38


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2026.05.09
EDN: FQCTSI

Rubric: Russia today

For citation:

Malinova O.Yu. “My motherland is vast”: a comparative analysis of representations of the regional identities at the “Russia” exhibition at VDNKh. – Polis. Political Studies. 2026. No. 5. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2026.05.09. EDN: FQCTSI (In Russ.)

Abstract

This article presents a multimodal analysis of the exhibits representing Russian regions at the exhibition “Russia” at VDNKh, held in 2023-2024 as part of Vladimir Putin's fifth presidential election campaign. By showcasing the achievements and positive experiences of the regions, this section of the exhibition provides rich material for a comparative analysis of approaches to constructing regional identities and representing them in external arenas. The content of the exhibits is considered as a reflection of established practices of selfdescription and, at the same time, as the result of decisions made by regional administrations, which prepared the technical specifications for content developers. The analysis is based on observations made during eight visits to the exhibition from January to July 2024. The units of analysis were exhibition elements corresponding to thematic categories representing the territory, population, and historical past of the regions. Within each category, patterns were identified that reflected different approaches to the selection and representation of relevant aspects of territorial identity. Considering the specifics of the multimedia exhibition format, a methodology for comparative multimodal analysis was developed to enable a comparison of the degree of representation and visibility of various aspects of regional identities in the exhibits. The study revealed a greater diversity of patterns in the construction of territorial images/brands compared with studies conducted in the 2000s and 2010s, and at the same time confirmed the conclusion about the uneven development of regional identities. The images of the regions presented in VDNKh's Pavilion 75 varied significantly in terms of semantic richness. These differences can be interpreted both as a reflection of the qualitative state of regional descriptive discourses and as evidence of the presence or absence of experience in exploiting existing symbolic resources among regional elites.

Keywords

regional identity, territorial identity, multimedia exhibition, multimodal analysis, symbolic politics, geographical images, usable past, the exhibition “Russia” at VDNKh.

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