“Asphalt” Nivkhs: Transformation of Traditional Culture of Arctic and Sub-Arctic Indigenous People

• In Event: 228 - Section on Sociology of Culture Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 01. Comparative and Transnational Culture

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of traditional indigenous culture in the Russian Arctic and Subarctic. It covers the key factors that influenced the social norms and everyday practices of the indigenous people, such as the Soviet ethnic policy, the perestroika, the arrival of oil and gas companies, the spreading of international standards protecting the rights of indigenous peoples. There is a special emphasis on the inclusion of indigenous people into the market economy and the commercialization of traditional indigenous culture by request of external actors. The work is based on the research of Nivkh (Sakhalin) and Nenets (NAO and KMAO) communities. The term “asphalt Nivkhs” in the title is often used on Sakhalin to describe Nivkh people who live in cities, having abandoned their traditional lifestyle. I will use this term in a wider sense, meaning the transformation of social norms and practices.

Author

• Svetlana Tulaeva