The host population and the migrants in modern tatarstan: Social roles and intergroup distance

Abstract

The relevance of the investigated problem is caused by the need to study the migration processes in the multi-ethnic regions of the Russian Federation, which becomes of particular relevance in terms of intensified migratory flows. Objective of the research lies in a comprehensive analysis of the situation in the interaction between the host population and migrants in the Republic of Tatarstan. The leading approach to the study of this problem is a multiparadigmatic methodology. The main results of the paper include the analysis of the group distance between the host communities and migrants, an assessment of the level of tolerance/intolerance of the host population towards migrants, and the determination of attitude of the representatives of the host population to an increasing number of migrants in their locality. The analysis of changing value of intergroup distance shows that the respondents' attitude towards different groups of migrants is asymmetrical. Data obtained from the study demonstrate a significant impact of the information field on the level of anxiety and increasing intergroup distance from the category of migrants having developed its negative image. Materials of this paper may be useful to ethnologists, social and cultural anthropologists, political scientists, and representatives of bodies and institutions in charge of migration policy and inter-ethnic cooperation.