THE ETHNIC ENVIRONMENT OF DIASPORAS IN WESTERN SIBERIA

The study of ethnic development and ethno-cultural adaptation of diasporas is one of the most important areas of research in Russian ethnography and history. Following successive migrations in the late 19th and early 20th cent., several diasporas emerged in Western Siberia, and were forced to adapt to local conditions. The numerically predominant Russian population was the key factor in rapid and signifi cant changes in the ethnic traditions of immigrants. Largescale economic and linguistic integration of the diasporas into the population structure of the region caused a leveling of ethnic differences and an erosion of ethnic identity, eventually resulting in voluntary assimilation.