Engines of Social Change? Peasant Migration and the Transgression of Spatial, Legal and Cultural Divides in Late Imperial Russia

ABSTRACT

Prior to the First World War the polyethnic and multiconfessional Russian Empire was well known for its high scale internal peasant migration. Against the background of the popular historical master narrative that Imperial Russia was characterized by the dual culture of westernized urbanites on the one hand and “backward” villagers on the other, this article discusses how peasants overcame various spatial borders, legal boundaries, social barriers, and cultural divides not only in order to secure livelihood and to improve their lot but also to make new experiences and widen their individual horizon. Based on a wide array of sources the article shows to what extent migration changed the practices, perceptions, and attitudes of the migrants on the one hand and of society on the other. It therefore explores the interdependencies between the destination areas and the native hamlets.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.