Indigenous Turkic-Speaking Peoples and the Urbanization of Southern Siberia (20^th – Early 21^st Century)

Abstract

Purpose. This article integrates studies relating to the history of urban communities of the Southern Siberian indigenous peoples (Altaians, Chelkans, Khakasses, Kumandins, Shors, Telengits, Teleuts, Tozhu Tuvans, Tubalars, Tuvans). A multidisciplinary approach to urbanization processes was used; their stages, rates, causes, and principal characteristics were analyzed. The database consists of our own field findings, published results of sociological studies, and those of All-Union and All-Russian population censuses.Results. During the 19th century, the prerequisites for the urbanization of the indigenous Turkic-speaking peoples of Southern Siberia were laid. There are three stages of urbanization of the indigenous peoples of Southern Siberia: 10) up to the middle of the twentieth century; 2) the 1950s–1980s (for the Shorians it is 1930s–1980s); 3) from the 1990s to the present. At the first stage of urbanization representatives of the indigenous population of the region moved to the city mainly in order to improve the level of education and within the framework of the policy of forming national personnel. At the next stage, during the period of industrial development of the eastern regions, there was an intensification of urbanization among a number of peoples (Shors, Teleutes and Kumandins) who lived near industrial centers. Industrial development was accompanied, among other things, by the transfer of rural settlements to urban ones, as well as the absorption of villages during the expansion of urban boundaries; since the 1990s, the reverse process began. At the last stage, educational strategies play a decisive role. The liquidation of unpromising villages in the middle of the 20th century affected primarily small populations, contributing to the growth of migration to cities. Cities are beginning to attract representatives of indigenous small-numbered peoples (Telengites, Tubalars, Chelkans and since the 2010s Tuvinians-Todzhins), whose territory of traditional residence is located at a considerable distance from large settlements. The share of townspeople among Altaians, Tuvinians and Khakas during the 20th century grew gradually, which was associated with a relatively less intensive industrial development of their territories of residence.Conclusion. The peculiarities of urban population formation among the indigenous peoples of Southern Siberia are: asynchrony of urbanization; orientation of Aboriginal migrations to the nearest cities and urban-type settlements; incompleteness of urbanization not only in terms of qualitative, but also quantitative characteristics. With the exception of the Shors and Kumandins, the rest of the indigenous peoples of the region remain poorly and medium-urbanized.