Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The objective of this paper is to identify the specifics of the transformation of the Germans’ ethnic identity in the Transbaikal territory. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The research methodology is based on a comparative analysis, which is supplemented by historical and evolutionary approach, serving as a philosophical development of the idea of constructivism. When analyzing the effects of social influence, the authors applied techniques of hermeneutics and social phenomenology, based on the reflection of phenomena of the social environment as the texts, whereby the modeling function of sign systems that regulate social behavior, continuity of culture and self-perception is justified. Findings: The research has shown that the problem of history and culture of Germans in the Transbaikal region exists only within the nationwide problematics of studying the Russian Germans’ culture. At the same time, there are specific features of Germans’ staying beyond in the Transbaikal area, in terms of the process of building a German identity, the leading role is played by the regional social mythopoeia that influenced the ups and downs of the ethnic self-comprehension of Germans. As a result of the study, the authors have proven that Germans living in the Transbaikal territory refer to their ethnicity as a form of organization of a successful life. The result of the study is the proof of the intersubjective nature of the diffuse identity of modern Transbaikal Germans, which appears to them as an immanent dialectic process of struggle, interaction and synthesis of an external social influence and internal group influence on the views of Germans on themselves and their ethnicity. Application /Improvements: Practical application of these results is the intercultural and interethnic interaction in the Transbaikal territory, where they can be used to develop preventive measures in social policy and to institute control over the processes of development of ethnic groups and organizations.

Keywords: German Ethnicity, German Identity, Russian Germans