Malitska I. Estonian Swedes in the South of Russian Empire: Migration, Adaptation and Acculturation of the Migrants-Colonists (1781-1871)

The object of the research is the monoethnic community of the Estonian Swedes. The subject of the research is the processes of migration, adaptation and acculturation experienced by a group of Estonian Swedes in the South of Russian Empire during the period of 1781-1871.The author studies the characteristics of the Tsarist policy and practice on foreign colonization.The main reasons for the migration of the Estonian Swedes were examined. The thesis identifies and analyses the long-lasting process of adaptation of the Swedish migrants in the South of the Russian Empire.The interethnic relations between the Swedish migrants and their neighbors were also analyzed. The economic activities of the Swedish colonists during the period were examined.By employing original narrative sources, the material and spiritual culture of the Swedish colonists was studied. The thesis concludes that the Swedish colonists integrated successfully into the new socio-cultural and geographic space. While becoming an integrated part of the society of Southern Russia, the Swedes preserved their cultural and ethnic distinctiveness.