Modern Geoculture: Sustainable Development of Indigenous peoples of the North of Russia and the Global South

In June 2025, NEFU UNESCO Chair's project "Modern Geoculture: Sustainable Development of the Indigenous Peoples of the North of Russia and the Global South" was reviewed by the United Nations' Commission and included in the list of projects implemented within framework of International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD).

Project manager and executors

Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU), NEFU Department of International Relations, NEFU UNESCO Chair

International partners on project

Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social) (CIESAS) (Mexico), Federal University of Rio Grande (Brazil), Jawaharlal Nehru University (India), National University of Mongolia (Mongolia).

Brief project description

Geoculture determines civilizational development and influences the vector of productive forces and industrial relations. An important condition for modern geocultural processes is the revival traditional culture's elements, as well as balanced interaction between Russian and indigenous ethnic cultures.

Geoculture can be characterized as a complex of cultural phenomena, worldviews and practices formed under the influence of geographical conditions and ideas about the territory of a people's habitat, which includes self-awareness, ethnic borders, linguistic and cultural heritage. Certain places, districts, countries and regions have their own geocultural potential, fueled by the spiritual energy of the population and the geographical properties of the space they have developed.

Any national culture can be characterized as a certain way of thinking and acting, a way of spiritual perception of reality, which can be described using parameters such as self-awareness and space, attitude to time, language, clothing, food, behavioral norms, etc.

In this regard, folklore (epics, myths, fairy tales, songs), musical creativity, as well as dances, rituals and crafts, which are passed down from generation to generation without an explicit author and preserve the unique knowledge and ideas of the people, are part of geoculture.

The project will consider modern concepts of geocultural development; specific regional identity; geocultural potential of a particular region; linguistic and cultural diversity, folklore (epics, myths, fairy tales, songs), historical and cultural heritage reflecting archetypal geographical images, local myths and cultural landscapes; development of thematic GIS maps; interrelationship the formation of the culture of the people from the territory in which they live; comparison of the culture of the peoples of different regions and countries, depending on their geographical location and cultural landscapes.

At the first stage, work will be carried out within Russian Federation, in Sakha Republic (Yakutia), where the following indigenous peoples of the North live: Yakuts, Evens, Evenks, Yukaghirs, Chukchi and Dolgans. Further, the project will be expanded to all the indigenous peoples of the Russian North.

At the second stage, it is planned to work with partners from the Global South: University of Rio Grande (Brazil), Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), University of Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Mongolian State University (Mongolia), Center for Higher Education in Social Anthropology (CIESAS), (Mexico).

In the future work with the all Arctic indigenous peoples can be continued.

A database will be created on the language, culture, folklore, traditional life activities, natural and climatic conditions, ethnocultural landscapes, intercultural and intercivilizational adaptation of these peoples. All information will be presented on a single Internet portal, and with the help of a GIS map linked to the portal, it will be possible to quickly obtain comprehensive information about the geocultural status of indigenous peoples.

Goal of the project

The search for ways of sustainable development of the indigenous peoples of the North of the Russian Federation and the countries of the Global South based on the use of civilizational concepts and technologies of modern geoculture.

Project objectives

1. Branding of the studied regions in following segments: cultural activities and education; social activities, which consists in drawing up figurative geographical maps of the studied territories where indigenous peoples of the North and the Global South traditionally live through the analysis of their cultural, educational and socio-cultural activities.
2. Cultural studies of geocultural potential of the studied regions:

• historical and cultural tangible heritage reflecting archetypal geographical images, local myths and cultural landscapes;
• folklore of indigenous peoples of the North and the Global South and folk art;
• study of the specific regional identity of indigenous peoples living in a given territory.

3. Assistance in the inclusion of identified objects of intangible ethnocultural heritage of indigenous peoples of the North in the Federal State Register of Objects of Intangible Ethnocultural Heritage of Russian Federation.
4. Studying geocultural and civilizational concepts, conducting comparative research of indigenous peoples' culture of the North and the Global South, depending on their geographical location and cultural landscapes.
5. Study of culture, language and folklore of indigenous peoples of the North and the Global South (epics, myths, fairy tales, songs), musical creativity, as well as dances, rituals, crafts and identification of their relationship with the territory in which they live.
6. Development of GIS maps representing figurative geographical maps, geocultural potential of each studied region and culture of the indigenous peoples living in these territories. The maps will include cultural landscapes, territories of traditional nature use of indigenous peoples, archetypal geographical images, historical and cultural heritage (historical and cultural monuments), data on the functioning of native languages, traditional culture, folklore, etc.
7. Engaging partners from the Global South to jointly develop geocultural concepts for the sustainable development of the indigenous peoples of the North and the Global South.
8. Summarizing the results of fundamental and applied scientific and sociological research in the field of history, culture, ethnography, languages and other spheres of life of indigenous peoples of the North and developing recommendations on the sustainable development of the indigenous peoples of the North and the Global South on this basis.