The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of migration from Asian countries on the rural areas of the Russian region using the example of the Chelyabinsk region. Addressing this problem allowed us to answer the following questions: what objects in rural areas are labeled as “migrant” and what are the assessments of this phenomenon by the public? Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural population decline is growing. Restricting international migration has shown that migrants are very important for the Russian agricultural sector. The decline in the population in rural areas of Russia, the deterioration of the ecological situation in the Central Asian region shows the need for research on migration to the countryside. There is a high probability that after the removal of several restrictions, we will see an increase in the migration flow to some areas of the countryside (greenhouses, workers' hostels, empty villages). For this study, we applied a set of ethnographic and ethno-sociological methods: participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and massive ethno-sociological survey conducted within the framework of the RFBR and Chelyabinsk region project “Asian vector of migration to the Chelyabinsk region: historical retrospective, forecasts and risks”. In total, during the project, 150 hours of included observation were implemented. In 2021, 49 in-depth interviews were collected with residents of the Chelyabinsk region and 37 with migrants from Central Asia. The sample of objects for observation and establishment of contacts with informants included: greenhouses for growing vegetables, garden associations, settlements in the study areas, rural shops, etc. The focus of xenophobic sentiments may shift from large cities to suburbs and villages, where new objects are being built, labeled as “migrants” (greenhouses, dormitories for migrants). "Chinese" greenhouses are no longer perceived as objects directly related to the presence of the Chinese, but are associated with migrants in general. Greenhouse complexes, where the main contingent is made up of migrants from the Central Asia, seem to be perceived as "Chinese" by inertia. All negative characteristics and parameters that were attributed to them are automatically extended to all greenhouses where there are “others”.

Avdashkin Andrey Alexandrovich, Candidate of Sciences (History), Senior Researcher, South Ural State University; 76, Lenin Ave., Chelyabinsk, 454080, Russian Federation,e-mail: adrianmaricka@mail.ru

Salganova Elena Ivanovna, Candidate of Science (Sociology), Acting Head of the Department of Sociology, Associate Professor, South Ural State University; 76, Lenin Ave., Chelyabinsk, 454080, Russian Federation,e-mail: salganovaei@susu.ru

Gafner Natalia Alexandrovna, Candidate of Science (Philosophy), Associate Professor, Department of Social Work and Sociology, Chelyabinsk, State University; Russia, 454136, st. Molodogvardeytsev, 70-B, Head of Training Laboratory, Department of Sociology, South Ural State University; 76, Lenin Ave., Chelyabinsk, 454080, Russian Federation, e-mail: nataly_flam@mail.ru

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