Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the notion of tradition in relation to changing practices of mobility, resource use, and identity construction in indigenous and mixed communities lying along the Baikal-Amur Mainline in northern Zabaikal’skiy Kray, East Siberia and Amurskaya Oblast’, Russian Far East.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the notions of tradition and change in indigenous and mixed communities in northern Zabaikal'skiy Kray, East Siberia and Amurskaya Oblast', Russian Far East, brought about by the construction and functinoning of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. Originally designed to serve resoure extraction industry, the BAM has significantly altered traditional land use practices and mobility regimes of indigneous (Evenki) and local population, who moslty susbsisted on hunting and herding, leading (semi)nomadic life, or lived off small-scale farming in villages. Presently, administrations and extractive companies often use this fact to support their essentialistic concepts of traditionality in promoting industrial projects and contesting indigenous rights to natural resources.

Analysing the railroad's role for local communities, I will set the following questions. How has the entangelement of local population with the railroad changed their land use practices and mobility regimes? Which networks currently connect taiga reindeer herders' camps and villages with BAM hub towns? How do different stakaholders apply the concepts of traditional land use and traidtional lifestyle in competition for natural resources and in local identity politics? And what are the visions and projects of sustainable development, involving indigenous, local and newcomer populations, associated with tradition in this resource curse situation?