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ÓÄÊ 314.72
Housing of peasant migrants: evidence from the studies of sanitary and hygienic conditions of settlements in the steppe zone of the Omsk Irtysh region (1890s–1920s)
Fedorov, Roman Yu.,
Doctor of
Historical Sciences,
Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS, Tyumen, Russian Federation,
e-mail:
r_fedorov@mail.ru,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3658-746X
Abstract
This study aims to analyze housing development among peasant migrants residing in the steppe zone of the southern Omsk Region. The research is based on data from three medical expeditions conducted between the 1890s and 1920s, which were dedicated to assessing the sanitary and hygienic conditions of migrant settlements. The analysis shows that local natural resource constraints — particularly the scarcity of timber — exerted a decisive influence on the development of building culture among settlers during the period under review. Although the original building traditions of different migrant groups exhibited significant variation, they adopted similar construction technologies in a new place. Among these construction techniques, layered earth construction predominated, while adobe construction was only beginning to gain adoption. The building practices of peasant migrants residing in the steppe zone of the southern Omsk Region relied primarily on traditional empirical knowledge and techno-logy. However, the study also identifies a gradual shift in state policy: there was a growing interest in rationalizing rural housing construction and introducing standardized approaches.
Keywords: housing, house-building practices, peasants-migrants, sanitary and hygienic conditions, Omsk region.
© Fedorov R.Yu., 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Received 01.10.2025
Accepted 18.12.2025
Article is published: 15.03.2026
Funding. The study was conducted within the framework of the research project of Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS no. FWRZ-2026-0031.
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