The Tajik, Non-Russians, Gastarbeiters, and Others: Foreign Migrant Workers in the Suburbs of Irkutsk

Abstract

The article analyzes the specificities of the mutual adaptation of migrant workers and local communities of the suburbs of Irkutsk. The author discusses the adaptation of foreign migrant workers as a heterogeneous migrant group, which is divided into a number of subgroups according to particular strategies and complexes of adaptation practices. He examines the causes and factors of the widespread use of migrants work in local businesses and everyday economic activities of local communities. The author argues that, in the suburban space, there emerges a favorable environment for inclusive practices of interaction between the locals and migrants due to the heterogeneous character of the receiving community.