Abstract
This paper examines the historical foundations of paradiplomatic activities of the Republic of Tatarstan. It addresses the issues of the origins of parallel diplomacy in the region. The authors question the widespread academic notion that regional diplomacy emerged only in the 1990s. They advance an alternative hypothesis: the positive parallel diplomacy practices of modern Tatarstan are rooted in the centuries-old accumulation of ethnocultural, economic, political, and social experience of the Tatar people, who have long inhabited this territory. As a methodological framework, the authors propose replacing the outdated paradigm of “paradiplomacy” with the paradigm of “diplomacy of regions and cities.” According to the authors, this approach resolves the contradiction between regional international activity and the norms of federal structure. The paper identifies the specific features of the modern academic approach to understanding the term “parallel diplomacy” and makes an attempt to determine the new paradigmatic framework for its analysis. The study examines the historical and communicative aspects of the development of the Tatar ethnic group. It concludes that the social communication skills of these people are organically intertwined with ethnic specifics, culture, socio-political, trade, and economic characteristics. The factors that influence the “Tatarstan phenomenon” in the historical, social, and political context have been identified. The development of paradiplomatic communication skills among the Tatar people is shown to depend on the specific conditions of historical development, the formation of statehood, relations with neighboring and distant states and peoples, the spiritual and moral foundations of social development, and ethnic character traits. The significance of an individual in the development of distinctive political communication skills is emphasized. Attention is paid to certain aspects of the role of women in the state diplomatic and educational activities of the Tatar people. The complex experience of establishing the foundations for the prosperity and success of regional diplomacy in modern Tatarstan is comprehensively described.