Role of Virtual Communities in Language Conflict in Tatarstan

The paper aims to identify the role of virtual communities in the language conflict in Tatarstan caused by the cancellation of compulsory teaching of the Tatar language at schools in the republic. To reach this aim, the article analyzes two groups in the social network “VKontakte” which express opposite opinions: the community of opponents of compulsory teaching of the Tatar language at schools “For a single educational space in Russia” and the community of supporters of compulsory teaching of the Tatar language at schools “Татар ата-аналары / Tatar-speaking parents”. The timeline of the appearance of the communities, their aims, strategies for defending their interests have been revealed. The scientific originality of the research lies in the fact that it has studied the role of virtual communities in a language conflict for the first time. As a result, the functions of each group in this confrontation have been identified.