Migration in Tsarist Russia, 1830s to 1914

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Lutz Häfner
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2013 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 250857066

The research project takes a synthesizing perspective on seasonal peasant work migration (otkhod) and transcontinental long distance migration (pereselenie) in Tsarist Russia from the 1830s to 1914. The aim is to analyze structures, forms, extent, and changes of migration. Moreover it covers material and immaterial push und pull factors in places of origin as well in the target regions. The study focuses on specific aspects of region, groups, generation, social strata and gender. It puts emphasis on the interplay of the different types of migration as well as the influences on the places of origin and the target regions. The project also deals with the chances of inclusion and the risks of exclusion within the new world. Finally, it is necessary to take into account the fate of about a million remigrants. Was remigration really an aspect of failure? What did happen to the remigrants? Did they return to their home regions? Were they reintegrated into the community of their old villages?The project is designed as a synthesis relying on a greater area study with a high level of abstraction and a small-scale case study with full depth of field. It covers three provinces of the central industrial region with its population of mainly ethnic Great Russians. Iaroslavl, Kaluga, and Tver featured the highest percentage of work migrants in Russia but participated in the long distance migration to various degrees. In order to explain the peasants patterns of migration, it is necessary to analyze the structural framework conditions such as the specifics in places of origin as well as in the target regions, the socio economic conditions from the province level down to the villages, local traditions, networks and regional preferences to earn money. In addition, it is indispensable to take into consideration the property situation, size and age structure of families as well the degree of education, the aspect of gender and the vocational skills of the individual. These parameters help to explain why the work migrants broke with their past and opted for long distance migration although this meant to renounce earnings for about two years. Subsidies and allowances by the Tsarist State did not compensate for this loss of income. Moreover, it was difficult for the individual to assess the health risks during migration. Therefore, the study focuses on the nexus between migration and health. Only recently, modern migration history started to deal with this aspect.In contrast to previous research, this project does not run out to understand otkhod mainly from trajectory of the developing working class. Focusing on practices and the historical agents, it rather examines the consequences on behalf of the migrants and their regions of origin. Because it does not isolate the two types of migration but looks at their interaction, it promises to explain the changes of the traditional features of migration.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants