Transformation of Ethnic Identity of Armenian Migrants Involved and Non-Involved in the Activities of Their National Cultural Autonomy

Abstract

The paper discusses the results of a longitudinal empirical study on the types and manifestations of ethnic identity of Armenian migrants, its transformation depending on the participation/non-participation of representatives of the Armenian ethnos in the activities of the Armenian national cultural autonomy of Penza. The survey sample was formed from representatives of the Armenian ethnic group living in the Penza region: 100 during the initial diagnosis and 92 of them after the repeated diagnosis. The time period between the first and second stages of the study was 5 years. At each stage the sample included two equal subgroups: Armenian migrants who participated and did not participate in the activities of the national community. The features of ethnic identity were diagnosed by means of the Type of Ethnic Identity (TEI) technique (G.I. Soldatova and S.V. Ryzhova) and the technique for assessing the positivity and uncertainty of ethnic identity (A.N. Tatarko and N.M. Lebedeva). Student’s t -test was used for statistical data processing. The results of the study confirm the assumption that migrants who interact over a long stretch of time with their community organisation have less pronounced hyper-ethnic attitudes like ethno-egoism and ethno-isolationism. The repeated diagnosis revealed a decreasing tendency in the number of migrants in both groups with predominant positive ethnic identity and an increasing tendency in the number of migrants with ethnoindifference, which is most likely a natural reaction to their long staying in another culture and adaptation to it. The results of the study are likely to be useful in developing programs for the prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts in modern society, when it is necessary to take into account the role of national cultural autonomies in the process of migrants’ adaptation in the host society.