THE POPULATION OF DNIPROPETROVSK 1959–1989: PROCESSES OF LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL ASSIMILATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33402/up.2020-13-302-313Keywords:
Dnipropetrovsk, assimilation, language of communication, population census, demography, urbanization, Soviet city, Russians, Ukrainians, PolesAbstract
The article analyzes the assimilation processes of Soviet Dnipropetrovsk and their connection with the phenomenon of urbanization on the basis of statistical data, press materials and archival materials. The influence of rapid population growth on the demographic profile of the city is determined. After the war, Dnipropetrovsk became one of the largest industrial centers of the Soviet Union and had special strategic importance. This prospect attracted new residents. It was found out why the rural population migrated to the city, what problems awaited the newly arrived migrants. Residents interacted with each other, changing the social «landscape» of the city. The main aspects of why Dnipropetrovsk became a «Russian-speaking city» and how it affected the identity of Dnipropetrovsk residents and migrants are considered. In the 1970s, the city became a multicultural «capital» in the south-eastern part of Soviet Ukraine, which is why an essential component of the article is data on the national and social composition of the city’s population show the uniqueness of life in Dnipropetrovsk.Newcomers quickly adapted to the «Dnipropetrovsk way of life», losing their identity, and the first reason for this was language. Linguistic and cultural strategies of Dnipropetrovsk residents’ behavior are outlined, and the factors that conditioned assimilation are determined.The influx of diverse populations into one city affected its demographic image. New residents in one way or another contributed to the formation of the urban environment and the emergence of a new model of an urban dweller, which was the result of the existing national, linguistic, cultural combination. The chosen period of 1959–1989 in the history of Ukrainian cities, in particular the example of Dnipropetrovsk, is a time of intensive increase in the number of jobs and the development of new housing estates located around the city center. The new opportunities offered by the city attracted the population, which caused migration both from more remote regions and from neighboring towns and villages.
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