Scholarly record

ETHNIC MINORITIES OF MIGRANTS IN THE SOUTH OF RUSSIA: ACCULTURATION PROBLEMS AND RESOCIALIZATION TOOLS

A. Bedrik, A. Shapovalova, A. Bespalova

Abstract

The acculturation of ethnic minorities of migrants and the harmony of interethnic relations in the regions of their compact settlement in the South of Russia is discovered in the article. The authors classify the ethnic minorities into three categories. They are: the groups of indigenous small peoples; the representatives of historical diasporas of the South of Russia; local groups formed mainly during the post-Soviet period abroad within the country. Migrant ethnic minorities became the subjects of the most acute interethnic clashes in the Krasnodar and the Stavropol Territories, the Rostov Region. The empirical and methodological basis of the research meet the needs of the study of ethnic minorities: statistics; content analysis of media publications; the results of the surveys of the population of the Rostov Region, the Krasnodar Territory and the Stavropol Territory conducted in March-April 2018 by a standardized questionnaire interview, quota sample, 1,850 respondents; the results of in-depth interviews and focus group studies held in September-November 2017 among the leaders of national-cultural associations and heads of government and local government of the Rostov region, the Krasnodar Territory and the Stavropol Territory responsible for implementing the policy of harmonization of inter-ethnic relations. The authors come to some theoretical conclusions and practical recommendations on the management of the sphere of inter-ethnic relations between migrant minorities and host communities. First, the need to expand the participation of various subjects of the society in the regulation of national policy spheres is actualized in the South-Russia. Such participation has mainly a simulative nature and is offset by a skeptical attitude towards the non-commercial organizations, their ability to cooperate in this field. Only the migrants themselves and the leaders of their associations, but also the local old-timers and other institutions of civil society in the regions are expressing the need for more effective use of the NGOВ’s capacities in solving the problems. Second, the prevention of inter-ethnic tensions in the areas of compact settlement of ethnic minorities. Such tools are carried out without proper financial and economic, personnel and methodological support from the state. In addition, the projects implementation requires the specification to the ethno-social conditions of a local community or an educational institution. Third, the strengthening of the institutions of civil society and expanding their social partnership will help to reduce the relevance of such problems as departmental nationalism, labor discrimination based on the ethnicity, legal defenselessness of migrants in the labor, housing and communal and social-rehabilitation spheres. In addition, the efficiency of the processes of acculturation of migrants and their re-socialization in Russian society can be increased by a wider involvement of international experience.

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