Migration and ethnicization of urban areas: an academic workshop

The paper, introducing the theme of this special issue, presents the problems of ethnicization of urban spaces due migration processes discussed at a workshop held in Tomsk 18-21 June 2015. The main feature of migration society in eastern Russia was and is its multiculturality formed as a result of a synthesis of the heterogenous native population with a no less diverse incoming, migrant one. When and how this diversity was conceived as ethnic (national in the Russian tradition), what is the dynamic and the fundamental characteristics of this process in the conditions of radical social and political changes in the country, part of which was and is Siberia? These questions might be formed in the categories of the process of «ethnicization». To what extent do Siberian cities, partly transforming from the elements of pre-Soviet imperial states, partly developing as a purely Soviet project, with ethnicity as a peculiarity of urban areas? What are the functions of ethnicity and the ethnicization of urban areas in the life of the late- and post-Soviet city? An expert part of the workshop was devoted to a discussion of the new functions of ethnicity in urban areas and migration as a mechanism for the appearance of these new functions. The academic topicality here is closely connected with public relevance: ethnicity actively exists in modern urban communities, but a gap between its new (for example, economic) functions and the common interpretation of ethnicity occurs. Commonplace stereotypes and phobias become topical in this gap, leading to a rise in social strife. Contradictory situations relating to ethnicity cause conflicts and it is easily used in manipulations. Correspondingly, as a basis of social discussion there is precisely such an attempt at understanding the new role of ethnicity and its comparison with set stereotypes. The school work technique is examined. An indispensable condition for the audience»s participation was preparation and presentation of academic texts according to the topic. The key element of work was group reviewing and individual advising by experts.

Keywords

Authors

References