The Status of Indigenous Peoples in the Russian North

The chair of a roundtable session entitled “The Russian North in Transition,” the papers of which constitute this special issue of Post-Soviet Geography, outlines general theoretical and methodological issues that must be addressed in the study of change in this region of Russia. Particular attention is focused on problems of defining the Russian North and elaborating a framework for conceptualizing processes of transition in the North. In the process, the paper introduces a basic theme interwoven throughout the issue: the competition between pressures for resource development (driven by national economic priorities) and the interests of local groups in maintaining environmentally sustainable, traditional lifestyles. 3 maps, 1 diagram, 2 tables, 8 references.