Administrative Resettlement and the Pursuit of Economy: The Case of Chukotka

• Autores: Niobe Thompson
• Localización: Polar geography, ISSN 1088-937X, Vol. 26, Nº. 4, 2002, págs. 270-288
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • An anthropologist specializing in the Russian North surveys the recent implementation of a resettlement program for residents of the Chukchi Autonomous Okrug. As a joint World Bank and Russian Federal Government resettlement program commences, intended to resettle several thousand residents from the far northeast region to temperate zones of Russia, this study of a smaller but thus far unique experiment in rapid resettlement provides a relevant preview of participant experiences and problems in uptake and implementation. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Chukotka and communities of former northerners now resettled in central Russia, this paper outlines the logistical and adaptational difficulties resettlers face, and explores the sources of resistance to resettlement and restructuring in northern communities. The author also addresses the risks to the sustainability of northern economies and indigenous communities posed by a policy of achieving cost economies in northern regions through rapid depopulation.