Urban Begging and Ethnic Nepotism in Russia: An Ethological J/arilla BUIIR'skq),a, Frallk Sa/ler, /l'{/1/ Diakollo1J, alld A/RX~)' ,\inimov

Abstract

Ethnic nepotism theory ofTers fresh insights into aspects of ethnically diverse societies. Ethnic groups are conceptualized as large, attenuated families by both van den Berghe, I who coined the term 'Ethnic Nepotism', and EiblEibesfeldt:l, who initially developed aspects of the theory within an ethological frame. In their view, an ethnic group is like a family not only because its members share some characteristic genes derived from common descent, but at the motivational, subjective level because group members perceive this common descent and feel and act like a family. Members tend to feel nepotistically about their descent groups, directing familial-type altruism towards them. According to the theory, both the intra-group affiliation and inter-group antagonism that mark ethnic affairs are motivated by nepotistic feelings. The theory is pitched at the ultimate level of causation, attempting to elucidate a causal chain running from natural selection of genetically based predispositions to proximate mechanisms of behaviour, including economic behaviour. Sociobiological theory is still not widely accepted in the social sciences, though there is much backgTound evidence in support of this particular theory. Numerous studies in anthropology and psychology, conducted in many societies, indicate that humans have an innate propensity to diflerentiate between in-group and out-group members and display more altruism to compatriots. Anthropologists have documented the centrality of kinship to sociallif(~ in all observed cultures.:l Kinship terms appear more frequently in patriotic rhetoric than in rhetoric devoted to other issues. I A case study of Chinese ethnic middlemen in Malaysia by Landa'; found a series of seven nested grades of altruism and trust, being most intense within nuclear families, followed by more distant kin, clansmen, and being weakest between Chinese in general and finally non-Chinese. .