Ethnic Enclaves as a Social and Territorial Phenomenon (Based on the City of Novosibirsk)
The present research considers specificity of the relationship between migrants and the host community in a large city based on the example of Novosibirsk and illustrated with materials of popular and expert surveys conducted with the participation of the authors. Integration of migrants into the socio- cultural space of the city is studied from the point of view of balance between the strategies of security and development, while the focus of the authors' attention is directed to the study of the processes of social and territorial exclusion of migrants from the urban environment and their self-organization in enclaves.The dual nature of ethnic enclave formation is analysed: on the one hand, an enclave is formed as a result of pressure made by the host community, on the other hand, it implements the migrants' strategy of “easy adaptation”. The enclave allows reproduction of the ethno-cultural system and the social structure of the “country of origin” in the new location. The dependence of the identification strategies of migrants on the influence of the host community is formulated: the ethno-cultural identity of migrants coming to Russia for short periods and settling in enclaves does not normally transform, while the ethno-cultural identity of migrants oriented to long-term or permanent residence is transformed in accordance with stereotyped images, existing in the mass consciousness of the host community.The concept of “interstitial zones” is justified as actual for modern Russian sociology, as it adequately reflects the specifics of migrants' resettlement in enclaves in modern Russian cities.In general, based on the analysis of empirical materials, it was concluded that, although enclaves are nominally present on the city map, there is no integration of the social system of the enclave with the city's network.