Ethnic field in ethno-geographic studies: new approach concept and background

Abstract

The notion of ethnic field was suggested by L. N. Gumilyov. The field includes two components: energetic and informational. The first one depicts the amount of passionate (creative) energy (engine analogue), the other shows how people having such energy (steering wheel analogue) to act. The authors present a new concept model (pattern) of the ethnic field informational component, based on Pierre Bourdieu and Kurt Lewin understanding of social and psychological fields. The ethnic field concept demonstrates interaction between different ethnic groups and between the ethnos and the landscape as the ethnic field creates its own ethno-cultural layer in the landscape. In the framework of the ethnic field the cultural landscape becomes a text, the meaning of which is clear to the ethnic community having created this field, but it can be obscure to other ethnic communities. This article deals with the method of ethno-cultural information structuring on the materials of northern indigenous peoples’ reindeer herding studies. For this purpose we suggest selecting different level contexts similar to the semantic text analysis (one general context may comprise some particular ones). A context is an information construct which defi nes human behavior stereotypes in the ethnic field. Coming across a problem situation humans think it over in the background of their ethnic field. The ethnic field contextual analysis allows for a better understanding of the causes of tension and conflicts arising in ethno-contact areas. Refs 12.