Identity and Ecology in Arctic Siberia: The Number One Reindeer Brigade (Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology)
by David G. Anderson
Category: Social Science

This is a first-hand account of a reindeer-herding collective in the remote Taimyr peninsula of Siberia. The author gives an intimate description of the day-to-day lives of a little-known group of Evenkis as they face both economic and ecological challenges. His book therefore fills a gap in our understanding of the historical and political dynamics of northern Asia, and traces the changes caused in the region by the formation of, and the recent break-up of, the Soviet Union. It also addresses wider questions of ecological theory, nationalism, and the formation of identity. David G. Anderson's idea of `nationality inflation' provides a valuable new perspective on these topics. He shows how the Soviet state contributed to this `inflation' through its creation of `authorized identities' and suggests how identity policy and the discourse it generated became a powerful historical force integrating the social dynamics of economy, politics, and culture.