In Search of “a Place of One’s Own”: Peasant Colonisation in Tomsk Province
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15826/qr.2020.4.529Keywords:
Siberia in the late 19th – early 20th centuries; peasant migrants; migration; Tomsk provinceAbstract
This article examines various practices of settlement (collectively termed водворения in Russian historical sources) used by peasants looking to live in Siberia between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The question of where exactly to settle in Siberia was of vital importance to peasants, as making the wrong decision could undermine their wellbeing and force them to return. The government introduced special regulations concerning the allotment of places for migrants: peasants could either found a new village or join an existing one (so-called old resident (Rus. старожильческие) villages). The regulations had both advantages and disadvantages, and the difficulties that were often encountered in the process of settlement, as well as other factors, brought about semi-illegal and illegal practices in solving the problem. The search for an appropriate place to live was complicated by a number of issues, including the lack of land in areas most suitable for living in Siberia, unauthorised settlements, and corruption among local officials. These issues provided fertile ground for conflicts and for violations of established rules. The article examines these aspects of peasant settlement and the relations that formed as a result. The understanding of challenges that peasants faced in the region will ensure an accurate evaluation of large-scale peasant settlement beyond the Urals during the period in question. The study is based on the historical-genetic method and the institutional approach, which are used to reveal settlement practices. The author concludes that there was a variety of ways in which decisions on settlement in particular places were taken, determining the reasons behind the emergence of semi-illegal and illegal solutions.
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