Tatars of Belarus: ethnocultural markers and identity

Abstract

For the first time in ethnological science, the object of independent research is the Tatars of Belarus (Tatars of the diaspora), who moved here in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. They come from different republics of the former USSR, but they are united by a common ethnonym, language and culture. This community of Tatars belongs to the new diasporas and differentiates themselves from the Belarusian Tatars (local Tatars), whose ancestors settled on Belarusian lands back in the 14th century. The author identifies important markers of ethnic identity for the Tatar of the diaspora, their characteristic ways of ethnic identification, the content of the concept of «ours», the significance of the native language and traditional culture in the issue of identification based on the principle of «our – other». The reasons for the existing differentiation between these two Tatar communities are considered and the factors that have a disintegrating effect on the issue of their interaction are analysed. It is concluded that when identifying according to the principle of «our – other», the Tatars of the diaspora consider their co-ethnics from the Volga-Ural and other regions, as well as the Bashkirs, who are close to them in language, culture and traditions, to be their own. Despite the length of their residence in Belarus, the Tatars of the diaspora differentiate themselves from local Tatars and do not include themselves in the category of «Belarusian Tatars». This work is based on the author’s field materials collected in 2021–2024 from representatives of two Tatar communities living in Belarus. The data obtained during the ethnosociological survey are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.