The Tenacity of Ethnicity: A Siberian Saga in Global Perspective

by Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer

Book Overview

Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer combines extensive field research with historical inquiry to produce a dramatic study of a minority people in Russia, the Khanty (Ostiak) of Northwest Siberia. Although First Nations, indigenous peoples, have often been victims of expansionist state-building, Balzer shows that processes of acquiring ethnic identity can involve transcending victimhood. She brings Khanty views of their history and current life into focus,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691006733
• ISBN13: 9780691006734
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book About the Northern Khanty

Based on a combination of her personal experiences starting in the 1970-es, information from her local contacts, and exhaustive research into often age-old, obscure Russian sources, the author has produced an excellent account of the events and influences that have shaped the ethnicity of the Khanty, a numerically small Finno-Ugric speaking ethnic group in Western Siberia. I found her detailed description of the history of contact between the Khanty and the ever increasing number of Russians in the area particularly interesting. She successfully avoids generalizations by pointing out how different relationships were/are between natives and Slavic migrants in various regions. There are also plenty of interesting references to the traditional Khanty belief system. Unfortunately the fact that both the author and her major informants are women seems to have limited the extent of insight she could gain in this field - among the Khanty (and the related Mansi) only men are allowed to see certain sacred sites and rituals. While much of the book illustrates how successfully the Northern Khanty have managed to incorporate elements of outside cultures while preserving their own identity, the last chapter, which details worrying developments that have happened since the fall of communism, leaves one wondering quite how much longer this small group can hold out in the face of ever larger encroachment on their traditional homeland and way of life by the powerful petroleum industry in particular.

An outstanding exploration

Marjorie Balzer has produced an outstanding work on the nature of ethnicity, a work with lessons and insights that transcend Siberia and are applicable to cultures worldwide. I cannot say enough good about this book. It's no wonder she's considered by so many to be one of our Nation's leading Siberianists. Bravo, Dr. Balzer.