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Abstract
This article specifies the geographical scope of diasporic relations by examining the historical transformation of social and ecological bonds in particular moments of community displacement amongst the Komi-Izhemtsy (Iz'vatas, or Izhma Komi) of Northwest Russia. Two empirical cases grow from within the experiences of a diasporic Iz'vatas community coping with modernisation pressures. The article shows how (social and ecological) nature “participates” in the production of diaspora spaces, e.g. by changes in pasture conditions and reindeer health, oil pollution and fish deaths. The article also shows how and why ecological aspects can, and need to, be included in geographical diaspora research.
Notes
1. Iz'vatas is an activist organisation that has been active since the 1990s in reviving local Komi culture and language while simultaneously supporting a broader attempt to gain indigenous group recognition. Interestingly, the 2002 census results that identified only 15,000 Izhemtsy has been used to support the organisation's campaign to gain indigenous status, as the total of less than 50,000 qualifies the group according to Russian requirements. Information from the Iz'vatas website: http://www.izvatas.ru/.