Geopolitical Symbolic Capital and Monumental Space of Cities in the North-West of the Russian Federation

Aim. We identify and conceptualize the symbolic geopolitical capital of the territory, represented by monumental urban space.

Methodology. We examined 515 monuments related to geopolitical topics in 9 model cities of the Northwestern Federal District of the Russian Federation. By studying the hierarchies of occurrence of geopolitical dedications in monuments—”geopolitical traces” left by monuments in model cities, an attempt was made to compare the significance for urban symbolic politics of such factors as the capital city status legacy, a specific geopolitical position, the experience of foreign control, and a change of sovereignty.

Results. It is found that the specifics of topics and the parameters of representation of geopolitical symbols correlate with the degree of involvement of the city/region in certain geopolitical events. Geopolitical symbolic capital, represented by the resources of the monumental space in different cities of the North-West of the Russian Federation, is very significantly differentiated by the factors described in the paper. The factor of change of sovereignty over the territory turned out to be by far more significant than the capital city legacy. Symbols of the communist / Soviet expansion are more characteristic of regional capitals. Russian geographical research/discovery/development with a regional connotation (except for Kaliningrad) is the most significant in the monuments of all coastal cities in the sample.

Research implications. In the context of increased attention to geopolitical issues, monuments bearing such a connotation represent a resource for its interpretation and use in order to achieve political dominance in symbolic politics, as evidenced by the large-scale “war of monuments” that has unfolded in the world. At the same time, the significance of urban symbols, fixed and thus “legitimized” in the urban material space, significantly increases the effectiveness of symbolic management based on them.

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