Aborigines and the City: the Ethno-Cultural Profile of Residents of Magadan

The paper presents the results of author's research into contemporary ethno-cultural processes regarding indigenous people of the North residing in Magadan. The factual material produced during fieldwork is considered within the theoretical understanding of contemporary identities, migration flows, urban micro stories, and everyday life. Based on the prevailing cultural practices, there have been defined a few levels of manifestation of ethnic distinctive-ness by aboriginal people of the North in the urban space. It is shown that ethnically oriented activities in the city are carried out by certain specialists in interethnic interaction, among who there are such social players as officials, culture workers, independent artists, and entrepreneurs. The mechanism of formation and support for indigenous ethnicity consists in the promotion of cultural practices and artifacts by external means, through state action, support for business partners, and the engagement of the surrounding population. Explained is the effect of "ethnic resonance" as a response to interethnic interaction resulting in the culture of indigenous people of the North being constantly reformatted, thus gaining a novel content.

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