Ethnic communities as a factor of counteracting extremism

Abstract

The subject of this research is the activity of ethnocultural organizations on prevention of extremist behavior among members of ethnic communities. The object of this research is the processes of functionality of the following communities within the social space of Altai Krai: Center of Ethnic Culture “Vaynakh”; Altai Regional Social Organization “Tajik Diaspora”; Altai Regional Social Organization “Center of Uzbek Culture – Batyr”; Local Ethnocultural Autonomy of Kazakhs “Asyl Mura”; Altai Regional Ethnocultural Organization – “Azerbaijan”; Altai Regional Social Organization “Union of Armenians of the Altai Krai”; as well as Local Jewish Ethnocultural Autonomy. To determine the specificity of the socio-cultural, legal, economic and confessional adaptation of the members of ethnic communities, the authors used the method of focused interview, which allowed determining the position of the leaders of ethnocultural communities with regards to the aforementioned indexes, as well as acquire relevant information pertaining to prevention of extremist behavior. The article presents the analysis of the influence of ethnocultural organizations upon the process of social, legal, economic, and confessional adaptation of the representatives of ethnic communities. A hypothesis is supported that the problems of adaptation in the designated spheres produce strive towards extremist behavior. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that the empirical framework is comprised of results of interviews of the leaders of Jewish, Armenian, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik, and Chechen, and Azerbaijan ethnocultural organizations of Altai Region.