The Notion of “Russian Harbinians” and Its Present Day Meaning

Abstract

The article discusses the transformation of the notion of “Russian Harbinians” from its origin to the present. Over the course of the past century, as the author argues, the notion that had been originally applied to builders of the Chinese Eastern Railway and Harbin’s natives gradually evolved and acquired a wider meaning. The article describes the different groups of people that identify themselves as “Russian Harbinians”. Drawing on own fieldwork, the author attempts to analyze specific characteristics of these groups, as well as causes and/or particularities of their formation.