On the place and role of the ethnocultural factor in the migration movement of Volga peasants to the agricultural outskirts of Russia in the late 19th – early 20th centuries

In the late 19th – early 20th centuries, a huge mass of people were involved in the migration movement in the Russian Empire. Its main flow was directed from densely populated regions of the country to sparsely populated land outskirts. Population growth and progressive land shortage caused the outflow of peasants from the multinational village of the Middle Volga region. In regional literature this complex phenomenon is highlighted mainly in socio-economic and socio-political perspectives, which is both justified and in demand. At the same time, since population migration, like many socio-cultural components of reality, also bore the imprint of the ethnocultural factor, it seems necessary to pay attention to this segment of the topic, because each ethnic community has its own way of life and behavioral stereotype. This article aims to highlight the role and place of the national moment in the migration movement of the Volga peasants to the land outskirts of the country. The author of these lines believes that such a projection will add new colors to his assessment and understanding. At the same time, he finds the role of the ethnocultural factor, although significant, but, at the same time, by no means a determining component in the mechanical movement of the rural population. For citation: Nikolaev G.A. On the place and role of the ethnocultural factor in the migration movement of Volga peasants to the agricultural outskirts of Russia in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.2, pp.71–88. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-2.71-88 (In Russian)