Changing Segregation in a Border City: The Case of the Russian Minority in Vyborg, 1880-1917

The spatial segregation of populations is a common theme in assessing the assimilation of an ethnic minority. The Russian minority in nineteenth-century Finland is an interesting case, in part because Russians were a minority in Finland but a majority in the whole empire, and in part because the minority contained a range of social strata. The 1880-1917 study period was chosen because of the political relevance of the issue at this time. The evolution of spatial segregation in Vyborg is studied using accurate tax documents geolocated using contemporaneous cadastral maps. Segregation decreased from 1880 to 1900 and increased from 1900 to 1917. The results suggest changes in the built environment played a role in the change of spatial segregation. The intermarriage rate between Russians and other groups also decreased during the period. It is likely that increasing segregation was related to the political tensions between Finland and Russia.