Abstract
The article is devoted to some concepts and concepts of ethnic identity, which are one of the currentlyrelevant topics. The article analyzes the study of both Western sociologists, anthropologists, aswell as Russian and domestic scientists. The article analyzes the study of both Western sociologists,anthropologists, as well as Russian and domestic scientists. Theories of P.I. Kushner, S.A. Artyunov,Yu.V. Bromley, L.N. Gumilev, V.I. Tabakova, V.D. Solovey, N.N. Tselishev, E. Smith, K. Gierz, K. Kalhoun,B. Anderson, E. Gellner, F. Barht, V.A. Tishkov. They considered issues of identity as a socialstructure, dividing it into three interpretations – primordialism, constructivism and instrumentalism. Inaddition, the author analyzes the concepts of the scientist F. Barth, which gave a radical new impetusto the cultural borders of ethnic identity. The concept of cultural characteristics is considered, wherein his understanding of various ways of ethnic phenomenon, cultural differences of the object of socialorganization in ethnic characteristics and groups themselves determine the value of cultural characteristics.He defined the belonging of cultural borders of a certain ethnic group by two different borders:first, the internal border-through the process of socialization, and second, the external border-on thebasis of inter-group relations. F. Barth believed that ethnicity is a form of social organization of culturaldifferences, where the primary significance is those cultural characteristics that the group itself attachesa marking value.