GAINING GROUND?: Evenkis, Land, and Reform in Southeastern Siberia (Part of the Cultural Survival Studies in Ethnicity and Change Series) [Facsimile] [Paperback]

Gail A. Fondahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0205275796 | ISBN-13: 978-0205275793 | Edition: 1

For indigenous people, land is a critical determinant to cultural survival. the indigenous people of the Russian North currently struggle to gain greater control over their homelands against a backdrop of state reforms regarding land privatization, political devolution and the renegotiation of state-aboriginal relations. This book recounts the experiences of one group, the Evenkis of Transbaykalia (southeastern Siberia) in implementing indigenous land reform in the Russian Federation.KEY TOPICS: After examining "traditional" Evanki land tenure practice, this book recounts the dispossession of land from the Evenkis of Transbaykalia during the Tsarist and Soviet periods. It then looks at the successes and obstacles that Evanki villagers identify in their recent efforts to reassert control over their native land. Based on fieldwork over the course of three years, the book incorporates the views of numerous Evenki individuals on a "land claims" process which has endangered both optimism and frustration. Anthropologists and Sociologists. Part of the Cultural Survival Studies in Ethnicity and Change Series.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Key Benefit: For indigenous people, land is a critical determinant to cultural survival. the indigenous people of the Russian North currently struggle to gain greater control over their homelands against a backdrop of state reforms regarding land privatization, political devolution and the renegotiation of state-aboriginal relations. This book recounts the experiences of one group, the Evenkis of Transbaykalia (southeastern Siberia) in implementing indigenous land reform in the Russian Federation.Key Topics: After examining "traditional" Evanki land tenure practice, this book recounts the dispossession of land from the Evenkis of Transbaykalia during the Tsarist and Soviet periods. It then looks at the successes and obstacles that Evanki villagers identify in their recent efforts to reassert control over their native land. Based on fieldwork over the course of three years, the book incorporates the views of numerous Evenki individuals on a "land claims" process which has endangered both optimism and frustration.Market: Anthropologists and Sociologists. Part of the Cultural Survival Studies in Ethnicity and Change Series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 1 edition (July 24, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205275796
• ISBN-13: 978-0205275793
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book brings Rural Russia to life, May 25, 2001

By 

"govt_atty" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: GAINING GROUND?: Evenkis, Land, and Reform in Southeastern Siberia (Part of the Cultural Survival Studies in Ethnicity and Change Series) (Paperback)

I purchased this book to help me conduct research on my masters' thesis, hoping to just get a few quotes out of it - you know, space filler. Instead, I was pleasantly suprised by its detailed stories of life on a personal level, something that many texts on this subject lack.

This story is not a novel. It does provide stories of how life is conducted in the rural areas of Southeastern Siberia, often based on interviews by the author with farmers and their families. To supplement the personal stories (or vice versa), the author also provides guidance into the cultural, social and political side to land use and reform efforts in recent years.

The work is not long, at only a little over 130 pages. However, if you would like to get an easy grasp of what life is really like in this region, as well as an excellent overview of what the issues concerning land rights are, this book is for you.