Ethnic Entrepreneurship in Sochi Black Sea Region: Features of Development in Early 21st Century

Abstract

Formation and features of development of ethnic entrepreneurship in the Sochi Black Sea region in the early 2000s are considered. The relevance is determined by the economic and ethnic interests of different groups of the population (indigenous people and migrants), the possibility of their violation and the risks of ethnic tension, as well as the desire of representatives of the authorities and the business community to form a recognizable brand of the region to increase tourist flows. The results of the pilot study based on the analysis of materials located on the Internet, as well as historiographical data obtained during the expedition trips are presented. A systematic approach is defined as a methodological basis. Ethnic entrepreneurship is considered as a model of integration of migrants into the social infrastructure of the host regions and a multi-level system of social (inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic) communications. It is shown that at the level of rural settlements (level 1), integrated into the urban agglomeration, the forms of ethnic entrepreneurship in the Sochi Black Sea region are not clearly traced. It is reported that widespread models of ethnic entrepreneurship are aimed at the development of recreational potential of the territory. The author identifies enterprises in the structure of large economic firms. These enterprises are tourist-oriented and can be considered as a “brand” both of their own structure and territory (level 2). The ethnic component is determined by the employment of migrants, for example, indigenous peoples of the North, Uzbeks. Difficulties in the development of such facilities among the indigenous inhabitants of Sochi (Armenians, Georgians) were identified.