Anthropology of East Europe Review 30, 1, 2012.

The organization of state-sponsored youth camps has emerged as a central feature of contemporary youth policies in the Russian Federation. This paper, based on field workconducted during 2010, analyses them focussing in particular on two cases: Seliger 2010, Russia’s main youth camp, and Mashuk 2010, a regional camp specifically dedicated to youth from the Northern Caucasus. As will be seen, Soviet youth policies still serve as a fundamental point of reference in contemporary Russia. Elements of continuity and change,in particular in terms of patriotic education, inter-ethnic integration and the situation in the Caucasus, will be discussed