Identity, community and belonging (On the example of Kezhemsky & Evenkiysky municipal districts of Krasnoyarsk Krai). / Ablazhey, Anatoly M.; Campbell, Craig R.
In: Journal of Siberian Federal University - Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. 11, No. 4, 01.01.2018, p. 526-533.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Identity, community and belonging (On the example of Kezhemsky & Evenkiysky municipal districts of Krasnoyarsk Krai)
AU - Ablazhey, Anatoly M.
AU - Campbell, Craig R.
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - This article is devoted to the analysis of social and cultural transformation of communities in remote regions of Siberia where people have been forced to adapt to new places of residence and change their living conditions sharply. Whole communities were forced to relocate and to adapt to new conditions following the construction of hydroelectric power stations and the subsequent creation of reservoirs, flooding once inhabited territories and villages. This study makes use of sociological research conducted in two regions of Siberia: Kezhemsky and Evenkiysky Municipal Districts of Krasnoyarsk Krai. Our study shows that the elimination of stable family and friend networks accompanies displacement inevitably. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that when planning for the construction of giant hydroelectric power stations, authorities have not taken into consideration the interests of the local population – neither in the Soviet period nor in the post-Soviet period. The authors show that most of the inhabitants of the flooded villages on the Angara are now living in suburbs of major cities like Krasnoyarsk and Abakan and that they are rapidly losing their former identity. It is rare that existing modes of living are maintained through refusal to move to other regions of the country. In one case the unique local culture of descendants of Pomors, who moved to the banks of the Angara several centuries ago, has been lost due to forced displacement. In Evenkiysky District, the preservation of many cultural practices and traditions is possible only if there is no construction of proposed hydroelectric power stations.
AB - This article is devoted to the analysis of social and cultural transformation of communities in remote regions of Siberia where people have been forced to adapt to new places of residence and change their living conditions sharply. Whole communities were forced to relocate and to adapt to new conditions following the construction of hydroelectric power stations and the subsequent creation of reservoirs, flooding once inhabited territories and villages. This study makes use of sociological research conducted in two regions of Siberia: Kezhemsky and Evenkiysky Municipal Districts of Krasnoyarsk Krai. Our study shows that the elimination of stable family and friend networks accompanies displacement inevitably. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that when planning for the construction of giant hydroelectric power stations, authorities have not taken into consideration the interests of the local population – neither in the Soviet period nor in the post-Soviet period. The authors show that most of the inhabitants of the flooded villages on the Angara are now living in suburbs of major cities like Krasnoyarsk and Abakan and that they are rapidly losing their former identity. It is rare that existing modes of living are maintained through refusal to move to other regions of the country. In one case the unique local culture of descendants of Pomors, who moved to the banks of the Angara several centuries ago, has been lost due to forced displacement. In Evenkiysky District, the preservation of many cultural practices and traditions is possible only if there is no construction of proposed hydroelectric power stations.
KW - Cultural adaptation and transformation
KW - Industrial development
KW - Intercultural contacts
KW - Livelihood
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85057293004&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.17516/1997-1370-0246
DO - 10.17516/1997-1370-0246
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85057293004
VL - 11
SP - 526
EP - 533
JO - Journal of Siberian Federal University - Humanities and Social Sciences
JF - Journal of Siberian Federal University - Humanities and Social Sciences
SN - 1997-1370
IS - 4
ER -
ID: 17562992