printForms of Youth Creativity in the North Caucasus:
Cases of Nalchik and Pyatigorsk
Kuziner E.N.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Research Fellow, Center for Youth Studies, HSE University – St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia ekuziner@hse.ru
Solovyova N.S.
PhD Student, Junior Research Fellow of the same Center, HSE University – St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia nchernisheva@hse.ru
This research was carried out within the project of the Centre for Youth Studies “Resilience and Creative Potential of Youth in the North Caucasus Region in the Context of Educational and Labour Migration” supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 24-18-00659).
Kuziner E.N., Solovyova N.S. Forms of Youth Creativity in the North Caucasus: Cases of Nalchik and Pyatigorsk. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2026. No 2. P. 99-110
The article examines the forms of creativity available to young people in two cities of the North Caucasus – Nalchik and Pyatigorsk – against the background of a persistent tension between territorial branding for tourism and the preservation of local authenticity. The theoretical framework draws upon debates on the “creative city” (S. Sassen, S. Zukin, R. Florida), the concept of bounded agency (K. Evans), and youth DIY practices (A. McRobbie). The empirical base consists of 83 in–depth interviews with students and young workers in creative industries, as well as a survey of 638 university students conducted in 2024. A comparative analysis highlights fundamental differences in the perception and practices of youth creativity: in Nalchik, creative activities develop predominantly in a DIY logic, relying on horizontal networks and compensating for the lack of institutional support, whereas in Pyatigorsk, creativity is embedded in institutional and entrepreneurial channels, with the university and municipal structures acting a s key mediators. Qualitative evidence further reveals that in the North Caucasus context, additional restrictions are imposed by ethno–cultural and religious norms, which enhance the role of young people as carriers of bounded agency and as mediators between global cultural trends and local identities. The study demonstrates that the differences between the two cities are defined not by the volume of creative potential, but by the mechanisms of its legitimation and support, which shape the sustainability of youth creative practices. More broadly, the cases of Nalchik and Pyatigorsk highlight the importance of examining creative industries in multi–ethnic regions of Russia, where youth play a crucial role in balancing authenticity and innovation, as well as in mediating between global and local cultural dynamics.
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