A Note on the Definition of Ethnic Enclave

Abstract

The author considers in detail the main approaches to the definition of ethnic enclave and enclavization. Taking into account the degree of elaboration of this problem due to the peculiarities of historical development, special attention is focused on the approaches reflected in foreign English-language publications on the economy of the enclave and social modeling. The author also addresses the problem of the formation of ethnic enclaves in the Russian Federation, acting as an obvious threat to public security. The methodological basis of the research is presented by the general dialectical method of scientific cognition. The prospects of enclavization are illustrated by official statistical data on the number of people registered for migration and who have received citizenship. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the main features of an ethnic (polyethnic) enclave are the presence of a special economic structure and socio-cultural environment that exclude the processes of assimilation into society. In order to identify the enclave, it is advisable to use sociological methods (questionnaires, surveys of the local population) and a survey of the territory. Considering that migration processes are related to the determinants of crime, it is necessary to study the phenomenon of ethnic enclaves in a criminal aspect. Moreover, with the growth of external migration, the prospects of enclavization seem quite real. The negative consequences of enclavization are the growth of social exclusion, tension, an increase in crime, including migration and organized ethnic crime.